- O Yeong-su, celebrated for his role as Player 001 in Squid Game, received a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault related to a 2017 incident involving a junior theatre colleague
- The South Korean actor, aged 80, faced allegations of forcibly hugging and kissing a female troupe member, culminating in a guilty verdict after an appeal trial in Seongnam
- Despite O Yeong-su’s insistence on his innocence, the court’s decision underscored issues of accountability and power imbalances in South Korea’s entertainment sector
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On April 6, 2025, South Korea’s entertainment industry faced a jolt when O Yeong-su, the beloved Squid Game star, was sentenced to prison.
Known for his compelling portrayal of Oh Il Nam, Player 001, in the Netflix sensation that took the world by storm, the 80-year-old actor found himself at the centre of a legal storm.
Squid Game star gets one-year sentence for sexual assault. Photo Credit: @squidgamenetflixSource: Instagram
The Seongnam court convicted him of sexual assault tied to an incident from 2017, where he allegedly hugged and kissed a junior female colleague from his theatre troupe without her consent near his residence.
Prosecutors detailed how the victim, a less prominent member of the troupe, endured significant emotional distress following the encounter.
Initially, the court imposed an eight-month sentence with two years’ probation, but the appeal trial intensified the punishment to a full year in prison.
The final ruling, slated for June 3, 2025, stunned fans across Nigeria, where Squid Game had become a cultural phenomenon.
O Yeong-su’s legal team argued that the victim’s account lacked consistency, and the actor maintained he only addressed the allegations formally to safeguard the reputation of Squid Game, which had earned him global acclaim in 2021.
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Reactions as Squid Game star gets jail sentence
@djbadsin said:
“in the United States we make them Presidents”
@tonytamagotchii commented:
“So he got out and played this part?”
@asteverson replied:
“Not surprised, he wants to go back and play the game again 😂”
@dre.sutton1 said:
“That one year sentence just might end up being a life sentence for him💀”
@the0fficialk2 said:
“Bro made it real life…”
@v0nni.3 said:
“O yeung so didn’t know she was O so young”
@hiphopdailystuff noted:
“i knew he was hidi g something when he betrayed 456”
@sleeping.wjth.roses said:
“Bro was trying to play games with his squid 🚫✋👎”
@nxrd8 replied:
“Lol dude really tried to play his squid game character IRL 😂😂😂”
@jreamond215 said:
“His gonna play don’t drop the stop challenge”
@purplefuseon said:
“He played his role to perfection, fiction became his reality”
@slaynay83 replied:
“Give O Young another shot he might be senile”
@christianchristi.ansen commented:
“When you are Downie, eat a brownie 🙌😸 ❤️🌸”
@theonlychris._ noted:
“My girlfriends great aunt kissed me once can she go to jail ?”
South Korean actor O Yeong-su sentenced to jail for assault. Photo Credit: @squidgamenetflixSource: Instagram
Squid Game breaks Netflix records with 111 million views
TheTalk.NG reported that the South Korean series Squid Game has made history as Netflix’s biggest debut show, with 111 million views within four weeks of its release.
The series’ success came after its creator faced a decade of rejection from studios.
Despite the challenges, Squid Game has now become a global phenomenon on the streaming platform.
Source: TheTalk.NG
