Squid game star O Yeong-su appeared to have admitted some guilt while speaking to the press as he entered the courtroom on Friday for the first day of his sexual misconduct trial in Seoul, South Korea. . Wearing a gray jacket and hat, the 78-year-old actor told a group of reporters: “I’m sorry. I think I behaved badly.”
The stage and screen veteran, best known for his role in the Netflix hit, was indicted by local prosecutors in November for allegedly engaging in inappropriate groping. a young actress while the two were on tour for a play in 2017. Police reports say O attempted to forcefully hug and kiss her on the cheek while they were walking together. O has admitted that he held the victim’s hand but denied any indecent assault. The charges were initially brought in 2021, but police dropped the case due to lack of evidence. Prosecutors then reopened the investigation after the woman appealed.
The accuser’s attorney declined to comment for an interview with Hollywood Reporter, but the lawyer had previously said that the victim was 22 years old at the time of the crime and she was a junior member of the theater company where O was acting in a play.
“O admitted his wrongdoing when the victim demanded an apology, but he denied the allegations during the investigation, showing no remorse for his behaviour. ,” the lawyer said in an initial statement to the press.
According to local media, the accuser’s lawyer told the court on Friday that the young woman had decided to take criminal action after years of grappling with the trauma of witnessing O appearing often. frequently in the media after Squid game has become a global sensation. In January 2022, the actor’s fame rose to new heights when he won a Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his role in Squid game – a first for a Korean screen artist.
The woman is said to have filed with police and the court text messages she exchanged with O and details of her medical history, including the psychiatric treatment she received. received after the alleged incident.
O previously stated in an interview with JTBC, the local broadcaster that initially brought the woman’s allegations to the public, that he only held the accuser’s hand to guide her while they were walking around the lake — and that he apologized not as an admission of guilt, but because the woman said she wouldn’t care if he said he was sorry.
“We are providing legal assistance to the victim and will continue to closely follow O’s trial,” said a spokeswoman for Korea Women Link, a Seoul-based women’s group. CHEAP. “Because the trial is pending, we are unable to discuss further the details of the allegations.”
Before Squid gameO is best known as a prominent stage actor who has appeared in popular locally adapted plays such as King Lear And Faust. He also appeared in several award-winning films, including that of director Kim Ki-duk. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring.
Since the scandal began, he has faced various forms of failure. After the indictment, O quit the game Love letterwhile a government-sponsored advertising campaign on regulatory innovation with O has been suspended altogether.
The Korean art scene was heavily scrutinized in 2018 after a series of female actors spoke out about being sexually harassed and assaulted by male colleagues and directors.
On Friday, members of local civic groups stood outside the courtroom and shouted at O, arguing that he should admit his wrongdoing and that South Korea’s #MeToo movement has yet to end.
O’s next trial is scheduled to resume on April 14.
