Actor Oh Young-soo (81), who is facing charges of sexual assault, maintained his innocence in the appeals trial but was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
On the 3rd, the Suwon District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 6 (Judges Kwak Hyung-seop, Kim Eun-jung, and Kang Hee-kyung) held a hearing for the verdict in Oh Young-soo's sexual assault case.
The prosecution stated, "The defendant is a veteran who has been active in the theater industry for 50 years, and this is a serious matter where he sexually assaulted a young dreamer who has just entered the theater world," and requested a sentence of 1 year in prison, the same as in the first trial.
The prosecution added, "The defendant denies the charges and claims they are false, showing no remorse so far, and there is no sign of repentance," and requested the court to impose a severe sentence on the defendant, who has not yet been forgiven and claims that the victim is making false statements.
Oh Young-soo's side also asserted his innocence during the final argument. His lawyer stated, "The only evidence for the charges is the victim's testimony, which lacks consistency and specificity, and the testimony itself is contradictory," and argued, "I believe the guilty verdict in the first trial was due to the apology message the defendant sent to the victim. When 'Squid Game' became a hot topic, he was suddenly asked to apologize by the victim, which was surprising, but he formally apologized to avoid causing harm to the actors and producers."
He continued, "The defendant has not committed any crimes in his 80 years of life and has only engaged in theater, which he considers his calling," and pleaded for leniency, saying, "The defendant has lost everything due to this incident, but please allow him to restore his honor and end his life on stage."
Oh Young-soo, who attended the trial, claimed in his final statement, "There was no physical contact or any incident during the time and space spent with the complainant. If my inadequate words and actions caused any emotional pain during our brief relationship, I truly regret it."
He added, "My life, which I have protected for 80 years, has collapsed without value due to this incident," and expressed, "It is empty and hard to endure. Please let me return to my place."
The sentencing hearing for Oh Young-soo's appeal will be held on June 3.
Oh Young-soo is accused of hugging person A while walking on a walking path in Daegu in September 2017 and kissing person A on the cheek in front of A's residence. However, Oh Young-soo has denied the charges, stating that while it is true he held the victim's hand on the walking path and visited the victim's residence, he did not commit any sexual assault.
In the first trial held in March last year, the court sentenced him to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation and ordered him to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs. Subsequently, the prosecution appealed for inappropriate sentencing, while Oh Young-soo appealed for factual misjudgment, legal misunderstanding, and inappropriate sentencing.
Oh Young-soo gained immense popularity both domestically and internationally for his role as the grandfather in the Netflix drama 'Squid Game', leaving behind catchphrases like "If this goes on, everyone will die." He won the Best Supporting Actor award in the TV category at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2022, marking the first win for a Korean actor.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
