Prison term sought again for ‘Squid Game’ actor Oh Young-soo in appeal
Actor Oh Young-soo, indicted on charges of forcibly groping a woman, arrives at the Suwon District Court’s Seongnam branch in Gyeonggi Province for his first trial verdict on March 15, 2024. Yonhap
Prosecutors requested a one-year prison sentence for actor Oh Young-soo, 81, during the appeal trial of his indecent assault case on Thursday, repeating the sentence they sought in the first trial.
Oh, widely known as the “Gganbu grandpa” from the Netflix drama “Squid Game,” was sentenced in the first trial to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, for forcibly groping a younger actress from a theater troupe.
At the final hearing held at the Suwon District Court’s Criminal Appeals Division 6, prosecutors said, “The defendant has not been forgiven by the victim and instead claims the victim gave false testimony,” adding, “As a veteran actor with 50 years in theater, he sexually assaulted a powerless junior during rehearsal.”
Oh has consistently denied the allegations. His defense argued that the victim’s testimony, the sole piece of evidence, lacked consistency, specificity and credibility.
The lawyer addressed a key point in the lower court’s ruling. “We believe the first court ruled guilty largely because of a message of apology Oh sent to the victim. But that message was sent under pressure when she suddenly demanded an apology just as ‘Squid Game’ was gaining international attention. He wrote it formally, only to avoid harming the actor and the show’s creators.”
“If the complainant was hurt by my careless words or actions, I feel deeply regretful," Oh said in court, but maintained his innocence. “I still believe what I did at the time cannot be considered harassment.” He added, “This situation has been unbearable. Please help me return to where I belong.”
In response, the victim’s lawyer told the court, “Oh still hasn’t offered a sincere apology,” and urged the judges to issue a heavy sentence to help prevent similar incidents in the theater industry.
Oh is accused of forcibly hugging the woman on a walking trail in August 2017, and kissing her on the cheek outside her residence the following month while they were staying in a provincial city for a theater performance.
The verdict in the appeal trial is scheduled for June 3. Oh gained international fame for his role in the hit series “Squid Game."
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.