Squid Game’s most popular star, O Yeong-su, has finally been cleared on appeal after he was accused of indecent assault.
The 81-year-old veteran actor is best known for his role as ‘Oh Il-nam' or player 001, in Netflix’s popular survival series,Squid Game.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, an appellate court in South Korea has overturned the sexual misconduct conviction of O Yeong.
The Suwon District Court on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, acquitted 0-Yeong, reversing a lower court ruling that had found him guilty of sexually harassing a woman during a 2017 regional theatre tour.
With reference to that, the senior star from the ‘survival series’ has been accused of hugging and touching the woman inappropriately without her consent.
Yeong was found guilty in 2024 and given an eight-month suspended prison sentence. While he said he would appeal against the verdict, reports BBC.
The Korean court later found the case to be suspicious, citing the fact that the woman sought counselling for sexual violence 6 months after the alleged incident. At the same time, Yeong had already apologised to her at her request.
Considering doubts about when the incident actually happened, the court explained that the alleged assaults took place in 2017, while the alleged victim filed a complaint against Mr O Yeong in 2021.
According to Yonhap, the case was closed by police without filing charges in April 2021, and the prosecution later reopened the investigation at the victim's request.
Following the case, the Suwon District Court said there was "doubt" as to whether Mr Yeong had committed the assault.
"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, "said the court.
Whereas, the case also doubted that the actor had committed assault, as he had apologised to the victim, as per the given statement.
The alleged victim later spoke out against the verdict, saying it would not invalidate the truth or erase the pain she had suffered.
"Despite today's ruling, I will continue to speak the truth to the very end," said the victim in a statement released through women's rights organisation ‘Womenlink.’
While the Womenlink also criticized the decision by the court, saying they were "outraged by a ruling that once again conceals sexual violence in the theatre world."
Mr O-Yeong-su is the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor in a series after his performance in Squid Game topped Netflix charts.