|
The
Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court sentenced O to eight
months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 40 hours
of attendance at a sexual violence treatment program, the court
official said by telephone.
The 79-year-old actor, who was charged with two counts of sexual
harassment in 2017, had denied the accusations.
As he was leaving the court, O told reporters he planned to
appeal against the decision. He has seven days to appeal or the
ruling will be upheld.
O was indicted in 2022 and prosecutors had previously sought a
sentence of one year in prison, according to media reports.
Womenlink, a women's rights group in South Korea, welcomed the
ruling and urged O to apologize to the victim.
"The defendant resembles other offenders of sexual violence in
theatre in the past who tried to cover up their sexual violence
as 'favor' and 'friendship'," the group said in a post on X.
O won best supporting actor in television at the Golden Globes
for his role in "Squid Game" in 2022, becoming the first South
Korean to snatch the award.
He played the elderly character Oh II-nam, one of the main
antagonists of the first season.
The controversy over the accusations of sexual harassment saw
him dropping out of an upcoming film in South Korea.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Ed Davies and Alex
Richardson)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
