'Squid Game' Oh Young-soo, 2nd trial of appeal for forced harassment today (29th).

Actor Oh Young-soo, ⓒ Yonhap News Agency

The second trial of the appeal trial of actor Oh Young-soo (real name Oh Se-gang, 79), who is suspected of forced harassment, will be held today (29th).

On the 29th, the 6-1 Criminal Department of the Suwon District Court will hold the second trial of appeal against Oh Young-soo, who was indicted on charges of forced harassment. On the same day, the court will call the witnesses requested by Oh Young-soo's lawyer to conduct the interrogation.

Earlier, Oh Young-soo was indicted without detention in November 2022 after being accused of inappropriately touching the body of a female junior in the theater company in mid-2017. In the prosecution's investigation, Oh Young-soo has denied the related charges, saying, "I just held hands to guide the way." He denied all related charges, saying, "It is true that we joined hands at the first trial, but there is no fact of harassment."

However, the first trial court sentenced him to eight months in prison and two years of probation. In addition, he ordered the completion of a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program. The prosecution appealed, citing unfair sentencing, and Oh Young-soo's side appealed, citing misunderstandings of facts and legal principles.

In particular, Oh Young-soo's lawyer said at the first hearing of the appeal trial held in August, "This incident has led to social judgment, such as dropping out of the film one after another. He appealed that he is a first-time offender and the degree of harassment is not serious. In addition, he said he appealed the victim's statement on the grounds that it was inconsistent, and told the court, "There is a lot of additional evidence to be submitted. Witness statements related to the victims should also be made again, he claimed.

Oh Young-soo joined the theater company Gwangjang in 1963 and made his debut. In the films 'Dongseung' and 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring', he made his face known as the monk and the old monk. It attracted attention by appearing as an oilman in Netflix's "Squid Game," which was released in September 2021 and caused a global syndrome. With this work, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award in TV at the 79th Golden Globe Awards organized by the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association last year, and was honored as the first Korean actor to win the Golden Globe.

However, after being indicted without detention on charges of forced harassment, he got off the play "Love Letter," and transmission of regulatory innovation advertisements filmed by the government was also suspended, temporarily stopping his activities.