Squid Game actor faces sexual misconduct charges

Squid Game actor O Yeong-su has been charged with sexual misconduct, South Korean judicial officials say.

The 78-year-old is accused of touching a woman inappropriately in 2017, officials said.

Mr O has denied the allegation, local media report.

He became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor in a series after his performance in the chart-topping Netflix thriller earlier this year.

The alleged victim first filed a complaint with the police against Mr O in December last year, according to Yonhap news agency. But the case was closed in April without a charge being brought against Mr O.

The prosecution has now reopened the investigation “at the request of the victim”, the agency reports.

Mr O has now been charged without detention, it adds.

Following the charge, Seoul’s culture ministry decided to stop broadcasting a government commercial featuring Mr O, according to local reports cited by AFP news agency.

Squid Game – Netflix’s most popular series of all time – is a thriller series which tells the story of debt-ridden people competing for a huge cash prize in a deadly series of children’s games.

Mr O plays the oldest participant in the survival competition.