'Squid Game' star O Yeong-su convicted of sexual misconduct

Squid Game actor O Yeong-su has been convicted of sexual misconduct following accusations of assaulting a woman in 2017.

The Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court informed AFP on Friday that the 79-year-old actor has been sentenced to eight months in prison, with a two-year suspension.

In addition to the verdict, the court mandated the Golden Globe-winning actor to attend 40 hours of sexual violence awareness classes.

For the unversed, in 2022, Yeon-ju was indicted without detention for allegedly sexually assaulting an unidentified woman on two occasions. This was the same year he made history as the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series for his role in Squid Game.

According to court records, the two incidents occurred in 2017 on a walking path and in front of the victim's residence, respectively, while the actor was staying in rural areas for his theatre performance.

Judge Jeong Yeon-Ju delivered the verdict, highlighting the 'consistent' claims and victim’s own records of the assault, stating they "appear to be statements that cannot be made without actually experiencing them."

The actor who has been suspended from his acting duties, played the role of Oh II Nam in the megahit Netflix dystopian thriller.