Oh Yeong-su, 81, was initially found guilty in March of last year after he was accused of hugging and kissing an actress against her will while they were on a regional theatre tour in 2017. Photo: TNS
The Golden Globe-winning star of the Netflix hit Squid Game has been cleared of a sexual misconduct conviction in South Korea.
Oh Yeong-su, 81, was initially found guilty in March of last year after he was accused of hugging and kissing an actress against her will while they were on a regional theatre tour in 2017.
He was handed an eight-month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 40 hours of classes on sexual violence.
Oh repeatedly denied the allegations and said he planned to appeal the ruling.
On Tuesday (Nov 11), the Suwon District Appellate Court overturned the lower court’s ruling, citing Oh’s completion of the mandated treatment programme as well as casting doubt on the victim’s account and the consistency of her statements.
“There is a possibility that the victim’s memory has been distorted over time, and when there is doubt… the defendant must be given the benefit of the doubt,” the court said in a statement sent to local media outlets.
The statement, however, noted there still was a possibility Oh had committed assault, as he had apologised to the victim, according to the BBC.
In response to the verdict being overturned, the alleged victim said the decision would not “invalidate the truth or erase the pain” she has suffered.
“Despite today’s ruling, I will continue to speak the truth to the very end,” she said in a statement released through Women’s Link Worldwide, an international nonprofit that fights on behalf of women’s rights through legal action.
The organisation blasted Tuesday’s decision, saying they were “outraged by a ruling that once again conceals sexual violence in the theatre world.”
Oh, meanwhile, spoke to local media outlets following the ruling, expressing his “gratitude to the court for its wise judgement.”
In 2022, Oh made history as the first Korean actor to win at the Golden Globes, garnering the prize for best supporting actor in a TV series for his performance as Oh Il-nam in the Netflix hit. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
