Squid Game star O Yeong-su on trial for sexual misconduct: ‘I behaved badly’

A Golden Globe winning Squid Game star has fronted court on sexual misconduct charges – where he made a cryptic statement to journalists.

Squid Game star O Yeong-su has fronted court on sexual misconduct allegations. Picture: Netflix

Squid Game star O Yeong-su has appeared in court for the first day of his sexual misconduct trial, reportedly telling journalists as he entered the courtroom: “I am sorry. I think I behaved badly.”

However, the South Korean actor, 78, has previously denied the accusations after being indicted on sexual misconduct charges for an incident that occurred in 2017.

He was released without detention after being charged, Decider reports.

A woman who was 22 years old at the time of the incident filed a complaint against the actor in December 2021 and requested for the case to be reopened, after it was closed in April without filing charges.

She claims that the Golden Globe winning actor, who played Oh Il-nam in the record-breaking Netflix show, attempted to forcibly hug her and kissed her on the cheek during a walk while they were on tour for a play.

Oh Yeong-su at the 2022 Emmys. Picture: Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images

According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Yeong-su’s latest comments were made to a group of reporters while he entered the courtroom.

The Netflix actor, 78, previously denied the victim’s accusations, stating that he “just held her hand to guide the way around the lake”.

Yeong-su said that he apologised after the incident and the victim agreed to not “make a fuss about it”.

In a statement to the press obtained by THR, the victim’s lawyer said: “O admitted his wrongdoing when the victim asked for an apology, but he has denied the charges during the investigation, failing to show any remorse for his act.”

A spokesperson for the Seoul-based feminist organisation Korean Womenlink told that outlet that they are “providing legal support for the victim and will continue to follow O’s trial,” however they stated they “cannot further discuss about the details of the allegations,” due to the ongoing trial.

O Yeong-su won a Golden Globe for his performance in Squid Game. Picture: Netflix

The victim reportedly provided her text messages with Yeong-su and details of her medical history, including psychiatric treatment she sought after the alleged incident, to the police and court. The trial is set to resume on April 14.

Last November, an official from the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office said that everything reported by local media on the case against Yeong-su “is not factually incorrect,” but refused to give further details. Following the actor’s detainment, local reports stated that Seoul pulled a government commercial featuring the actor from further broadcast.

Squid Game has also recently been in the news for controversies surrounding Netflix’s upcoming reality series based on the drama.

The reality show was accused of being rigged by former contestants and many have slammed the production for being “mean” and “cruel”.

It has been reported that multiple contestants are seeking legal advice.

This story originally appeared on Decider and was reproduced with permission