Actor Oh Young-soo, known as "Grandpa Gi-hun" from 'Squid Game,' will have his appeal hearing for charges of sexual assault resume in August.
According to the legal community on the 30th, the 6th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court in Seongnam is set to hold the appeal hearing for Oh Young-soo on August 12.
This trial was originally scheduled for a verdict on June 3 but was postponed to June 10 due to the presidential election, and the date has since been changed twice to July 1. The court has officially decided to resume the proceedings in August, with witness testimonies expected to take place during this session.
Oh Young-soo was indicted for allegedly hugging a woman identified as A and kissing her on the cheek in front of her residence after meeting her on a walking trail in Daegu in September 2017. However, Oh Young-soo’s side has consistently denied the allegations of sexual assault, acknowledging only that he held the victim's hand on the walking trail and visited her residence.
Reason for the first trial's guilty verdict and appeal
In March of last year, the first trial court found Oh Young-soo guilty of the charges, sentencing him to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension and ordering him to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program. In response, the prosecution appealed for inappropriate sentencing, while Oh Young-soo appealed on grounds of factual misjudgment, legal misunderstanding, and inappropriate sentencing.
The trial court at the time stated, "The victim has consistently testified, and her statements align with diary entries made around that time," thus validating the credibility of the victim's testimony.
In addition, the court noted, "The victim reported the incident to those around her, and given the Me Too movement in the theater industry at that time, she even went to watch 'March's Eye' to seek an apology," and concluded that "the content of the counseling received from the counseling agency significantly matches, suggesting that these statements could not have been made without experiencing the incident."
On the other hand, Oh Young-soo's lawyer argued, "When 'Squid Game' gained popularity, the victim suddenly demanded an apology, which was confusing, but he formally apologized to avoid causing harm to the actors and producers."
Additionally, the lawyer claimed, "The defendant has committed no crimes in his 80 years of life, believing that theater is his calling, and has only engaged in theatrical activities. He has lost everything due to this incident but pleads for leniency to at least restore his honor so he can end his life on stage."
Oh Young-soo gained global recognition for his role as Oh Il-nam in the Netflix series 'Squid Game,' leaving behind memorable lines such as "We're all going to die." In January 2022, he also achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in the television category.
Image source: Netflix 'Squid Game,' News1, Oh Young-soo / gettyimageskorea
