Actor Oh Young Soo (age 81), who was indicted on charges of forced indecent assault, once again faces being sentenced to one year in prison in his appeal trial.
During the final hearing on April 3 at the Suwon District Court’s Criminal Appeals Division 6-1, the prosecution stated, “A veteran actor who has been in the theater industry for nearly 50 years sexually harassed a powerless junior member of the theater troupe,” adding, “The victim has been living in fear, both at work and in daily life.” The prosecution then reaffirmed its original sentencing request of one year in prison, the same as in the first trial.
The victim’s legal representative also emphasized, “The defendant further hurt the victim by saying, ‘I did it with the heart of a father,’ when she demanded an apology. His statements have remained consistent since the accusation was made, and their credibility is well established.” The lawyer stressed that punishment was necessary for the victim’s recovery and to prevent similar crimes.
On the other hand, Oh Young Soo’s defense team denied the charges, arguing that the victim’s testimony was inconsistent and did not align with objective facts. “The only evidence supporting the prosecution’s case is the victim’s statement, but her testimony lacks specificity, consistency, and logical coherence,” they contended.
Regarding the apology message, which was a key piece of evidence in the first trial’s guilty verdict, the defense explained, “At the time, Oh was gaining global attention due to Squid Game, and he was suddenly asked to apologize. He was caught off guard and only responded formally to avoid causing trouble for the production team.”
In his final statement, Oh Young Soo said, “I am ashamed to be standing in court at this age. If my words or actions were wrong, I will accept the consequences,” but added, “However, even upon reflection, I do not believe I committed any act that could be considered assault.”
He further expressed, “If my careless words and actions hurt someone in our brief acquaintance, I regret that. My 80 years of life have collapsed in an instant, and I feel empty. I just want to return to my place.”
Oh Young Soo gained worldwide fame in 2022 for his role as the "Gganbu Grandpa" in the Netflix series 'Squid Game' and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in Television that year. However, in November of the same year, he was indicted without detention for allegedly forcibly molesting a female theater troupe member, referred to as A.
A claimed that during the summer of 2017, Oh Young Soo forcibly hugged her while they were on a walk and kissed her in front of his house. Oh denied the allegations, but the first trial court sentenced him to eight months in prison with a two-year probation period. The final verdict in the appeal trial is scheduled to be announced on June 3 at 2 PM.
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