Squid Game actor O Yeong-su has had his sexual misconduct conviction overturned, after previously being given an eight-month suspended prison sentence.
The 81-year-old actor won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role as Player 001 in the Netflix hit's first season. His character is introduced as an elderly ally to Seong Gi-hun's heroic Player 456, before his true knowledge of the games is revealed.
O was initially charged in 2022 after a woman claimed that he had hugged and kissed her on the cheek twice without her consent. The incidents are alleged to have taken place in 2017, prior to O's involvement in Squid Game, though were registered as a complaint in 2021.
In a statement, South Korea's Suwon District Court said it had now acquitted O largely due to the length of time since the alleged incidents took place.
"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 statement reads, via BBC News.
"Despite today's ruling, I will continue to speak the truth to the very end," the alleged victim said, adding that the ruling did not "invalidate the truth or erase the pain I have suffered."
Squid Game has now officially concluded after three seasons at the top of Netflix's viewing charts, though it's been reported that the streamer is developing an English-language spin-off of the show based in the U.S. to continue its success.
Image credit: Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
