'Squid Game' Star O Yeong-su Indicted For Sexual Misconduct After Allegedly 'Touching Woman'

The unnamed woman filed a complaint against Yeong-su with South Korean police in December 2021. In the complaint, she alleged that the actor inappropriately touched her in mid-2017.

Law enforcement closed the case in April 2022 without filing any charges of sexual misconduct against Yeong-su. However, it was reopened by prosecutors in Suwon, a city just south of the capital, Seoul.

Suwon prosecutors reinvestigated the complaint, which led to charges being brought against him on Thursday.

The Squid Games star continued to deny the allegations, speaking to local media on the alleged exchange between himself and the anonymous woman.

Yeong-su told the local press that he "held hands with the woman to show the way around a lake" and denied any sexual misconduct or inappropriate touching beyond that.

The Netflix actor also issued an apology to the alleged victim last year — but not without issuing another plea and denying the accusation.

Yeong-su said he apologized to the woman — but did so that "she wouldn't make a fuss about it."

The actor doubled down on his denial, stating that his apology to the woman "doesn't mean that I admit the charges."

Yeong-su won a Golden Globe award in January 2022 for his role in the hit Netflix series that followed a group of people, who were desperate for cash, through a series of life-or-death games for the ultimate prize of millions of dollars.

He was widely celebrated in South Korea for his portrayal in the series. The President of South Korea even sang Yeong-su's praises and said the successful show gave viewers hope for humanity — despite its extremely dark and dystopian depiction of a capitalist society.