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

O Yeong-su, who was Player 001 in the first season of Squid Game, has been acquitted of sexual misconduct charges.

According to Korean media, an appellate court in South Korea overturned a ruling that found the 81-year-old guilty of sexual misconduct in 2024.

He initially received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he was charged with assaulting a woman in 2017. The latter filed a complaint against O in 2021, but it was closed in April of the same year. The investigation was later reopened, per her request.

Yonhap Agency reported that the complainant "received counseling for sexual violence six months after the incident and received an apology from O at her request." The court also pointed out that the woman's memory of the incident may have been distorted over time.

“Despite today’s ruling, I will continue to speak the truth to the very end,” the complainant said in a statement released through Womenlink, a women’s rights organization. She added that the acquittal would not “invalidate the truth or erase the pain I have suffered.”

O, meanwhile, told local media that he has "gratitude to the court for its wise judgement."

O was the first Korean actor to win at the 2022 Golden Globe awards by nabbing the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role on TV for his role in Season 1 of Squid Game. He starred as Oh Il-nam or Player 001, the oldest player who bonds with Lee Jung-Jae's Gi-Hun and is eventually revealed as the game's mastermind.