South Korea's Squid Game actor O Yeong-su has been found guilty of sexual misconduct after he was charged with assaulting a woman in 2017.
In 2022 the 79-year-old became the first South Korean to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a series for his performance as a seemingly vulnerable old man in the mega-hit Netflix dystopian thriller.
The actor was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court said.
He has also been ordered to complete 40 hours of classes on sexual violence, the court added.
The victim's records of the assault and her claims are "consistent ... and appear to be statements that cannot be made without actually experiencing them," judge Jeong Yeon-ju said, according to the court.
O was indicted in 2022 without detention on charges of sexually assaulting a woman, who has not been identified, on two occasions.
The incidents occurred when O was staying in a rural area for a theatre performance in 2017, on a walking path and in front of the victim's residence, respectively, according to the Suwon District Court.
Squid Game, a series that depicts a dark world where marginalised individuals are forced to compete in deadly versions of traditional children's games, quickly gained immense popularity on Netflix.
Within less than four weeks of its release in 2021, it attracted a staggering 111 million viewers.
Source: AFP
