squid game Star Oh Young-soo has been removed from a series of South Korean public service announcements following sexual misconduct charges filed against him on Friday. The 78-year-old actor, who won Best Supporting Actor, also declined to co-star in an upcoming stage play in Jeonju, South Korea. , according to local reports.
Prosecutors in the South Korean city of Suwon said on Friday they had indicted Oh for allegedly touching a woman inappropriately in 2017. He was subsequently released without custody.
The alleged victim filed a complaint in December 2021 and the case was referred to prosecutors in February. Police dismissed her case in April, but prosecutors launched a reinvestigation after the woman appealed. According to local reports, Oh denies the allegations.
In a statement shared with South Korean broadcaster JTBC, the actor said: He was told not to make a fuss, so he apologized, but he didn’t admit guilt.”
An official with the Suwon District Public Prosecutor’s Office told AFP on Friday that “everything reported by local media about Mr. Oh’s case is not based on facts,” without elaborating.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced it will withdraw public service ads featuring Oh promoting the government’s regulatory reform efforts. Images and posts featuring Oh were also removed from the South Korean government’s YouTube channel and official website after the indictment, according to the Korean Herald.
A 50-year veteran of Korean stage and screen, Oh estimates he has appeared in more than 200 stage plays, numerous television series, and the occasional film.He rose to worldwide fame late in his career thanks to Netflix’s groundbreaking thriller squid game, playing Oh Il-nam, a seemingly out-of-place old man, competing in the show’s greed-driven battle to the death. His twinkle-eyed performance earned him Korea’s first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Movie, and he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama for his series. Nominated for an award.
It was unclear if Oh would return for the planned second season squid gameNetflix has not commented on the accusations against him.