78-year-old O Yeong-su, who played Oh Il-nam in Netflix’s hit show, is facing charges of sexual misconduct due to an appeal by his accusor.

Netflix

Actor O Yeong-su earned himself a Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actor thanks to his role in Squid Game, but now he is gaining unwanted attention after being indicted on charges of sexual misconduct. The news was first reported by local Korean outlets and confirmed by AFP, with the actor being accused of touching a woman’s body five years ago. The actor has denied the allegations.

It seems that the allegation is not new, with the case having originally been closed by the authorities early this year. However, the accuser has appealed the decision, which has led to the actor being detained for questioning again. A report by JTBC said that the actor confessed to “holding hands” with the woman, and although he had apologized, he said this was not admitting to being guilty of the charges being made against him. He was quoted as saying:
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“I just held her hand to guide the way around the lake. I apologized because [the person] said she wouldn’t make a fuss about it but it doesn’t mean that I admit the charges.”

78-year-old O appeared in Squid Game as O Il-nam, the oldest contestant to participate in Squid Game. Having been in the business for over 50 years, O reached a global audience when Squid Game became one of the biggest shows to have ever been on Netflix. Following the initial reports, AFP commented that a Suwon court official had noted that “everything reported by local media is not factually correct.”

Related: Squid Game Season 2 Will Involve New, More Dramatic Games

Squid Game Will Return To Netflix for a Second Season

Netflix

Squid Game became an unprecedented phenomenon when it arrived on Netflix in 2021. The first season of Squid Game centers on a contest in which 456 players, drawn from different walks of life but each deeply in debt, play a set of children’s games with deadly consequences in the hopes of winning a 45.6 billion Won prize. O Yeong-su stars in the first season of Squid Game as Oh Il-nam, an elderly man with a brain tumor who seems to enjoy playing the violent versions of childhood games that make up the contest.

However, it is revealed that rather than being just another contestant, Oh Il-nam is revealed to be the creator of the Squid Game contest. O previously discussed how he feels the character’s presence will continue into season 2. He said:

“I believe Oh Il-nam now will be deep in the consciousness of Seong Gi-hun. And I think Gi-hun made some personal growth due to Il-nam. I think that’s going to impact how he views life, and how he makes relationships with other people in Season 2. I think Season One of Squid Game was mostly about incidents that happened to Gi-Hun; the external factors that were at play in his life. But Season 2 will be more about how he views himself and how he shapes his own life.”

Although Squid Game brought O to a much wider audience, his following roles have continued to be in Korean productions, and some of his co-stars have since claimed roles in some Hollywood productions.