‘Squid Game’ actor O Yeong-su charged with indecent assault

A star of hit South Korean death contest drama Squid Game will stand trial for indecent assault after being accused of inappropriately touching a woman in 2017, a court in the country said on Thursday.

O Yeong-su, 78, was indicted on the charges last week, district court officials in the city of Seongnam confirmed.

Details of O’s case were not released, but the woman originally filed a complaint against him in December 2021, saying he made unwanted physical contact during a meeting in 2017.

Police closed the case in April but were reinstated after the woman requested further investigation.

O denied the allegations when questioned by authorities and later released a statement to South Korean news channel JTBC with his version of events.

“I was just holding her hand to show the way around the lake,” O said. “I apologized because [the person] said she wouldn’t make a fuss about it, but that doesn’t mean I admit the allegations.”

O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe in January for his portrayal of Oh II-nam, a mysterious elderly “Squid Game” contestant who joined the competition after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

“Squid Game,” a hit Netflix drama about a group of desperate adults fighting a deadly children’s game for a chance to escape their debts, has been renewed for its second season.