Actor Oh Young-soo Faces Supreme Court Decision on Sexual Harassment Charges After Acquittal in Appellate Court

The sexual harassment case involving veteran actor Oh Young-soo is headed to the Supreme Court.

Following a not guilty verdict in the appellate court, overturning a guilty sentence in the first trial, prosecutors have filed an appeal against the appellate court's decision.

According to reports on the 18th, prosecutors submitted their appeal to the Suwon District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 6, citing legal misunderstandings as reasons for their disagreement with the appellate court's acquittal.

Oh Young-soo was accused of sexual harassment on two occasions in August and September 2017. He allegedly hugged a junior colleague from his theater troupe while staying in a different city for a play, and later kissed her on the cheek outside her residence.

The first trial, held in March of last year, found Oh guilty, stating that the victim's testimony was consistent and detailed, sentencing him to an 8-month prison term suspended for two years, along with a mandatory 40-hour sexual violence treatment program.

However, both Oh Young-soo and the prosecution appealed, leading the case to the appellate court. In the sentencing hearing held on the 11th, approximately 1 year and 8 months later, the court overturned the first trial's verdict and declared him not guilty.

The appellate court acknowledged the possibility of inappropriate behavior but stated that due to potential distortions in the victim's memory over time and the difficulty in objectively quantifying the force of the hug, it was hard to definitively conclude that sexual harassment occurred based solely on the embrace.

While the first trial relied heavily on the victim's testimony, the appellate court cited the possibility of memory distortion and insufficient proof of sexual coercion to warrant an acquittal. With the prosecution's appeal, the final judgment now rests with the Supreme Court.

Oh Young-soo, born in 1944, debuted as a theater actor in 1968 and dedicated his career to the stage. He gained global recognition for his role as Oh Il-nam, the 'ganbu grandfather,' in the 2021 Netflix series 'Squid Game,' and became the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series in 2022.

Korean netizens expressed mixed reactions, with comments such as 'So it's going to the Supreme Court. I hope the truth comes out,' 'It's sad to hear this news about the Squid Game grandfather,' and 'We'll have to wait and see what the court decides.'