Golden Globe-winner O Yeong-su's trial bought underway Friday and is ready to renew in April.
Squid Sport star O Yeong-su appeared to acknowledge some guilt as he spoke to the press whereas getting into the courtroom Friday for the primary day of his sexual misconduct trial in Seoul, South Korea. Clad in a grey jacket and hat, the 78-year-old actor stated to a bunch of reporters, “I'm sorry. I feel I behaved badly.”
The stage and display veteran, greatest recognized for his function within the smash-hit Netflix, was indicted by native prosecutors in November for allegedly inappropriately touching a younger actress whereas the 2 had been on tour for a play in 2017. The police report stated that O tried to hug the unidentified girl by pressure and kissed her on the cheek whereas they went out for a stroll collectively. O has admitted that he held the sufferer’s hand however denies there was any indecent assault. The allegations had been initially introduced in 2021, however the police dropped the case because of a scarcity of proof. Later, the prosecutors reopened the investigation after the girl appealed.
The accuser’s lawyer declined to remark for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, however the lawyer has beforehand stated the sufferer was 22 years previous on the time of the crime and that she was a junior member of the theater firm, the place O was starring in a play.
“O admitted his wrongdoing when the sufferer requested for an apology, however he has denied the costs through the investigation, failing to point out any regret for his act,” the lawyer stated in an preliminary assertion to the press.
In accordance with native press reviews, the accuser’s lawyer stated in court docket Friday that the younger girl determined to take felony motion after struggling for years with trauma whereas watching O seem often within the media after Squid Sport turned a worldwide sensation. In January 2022, the actor’s fame reached new heights when he gained a Golden Globe for greatest supporting actor for his efficiency in Squid Sport – a primary for a Korean display performer.
The lady reportedly submitted to the police and the court docket textual content messages she exchanged with O and particulars of her medical historical past, together with psychiatric therapy she obtained after the alleged incident.
O beforehand claimed in an interview with JTBC, the native broadcaster which initially introduced the girl’s allegations to public information, that he solely held the accuser’s hand to information her method whereas they had been strolling across the lake — and that he had apologized not as an request for forgiveness, however as a result of the girl stated she wouldn’t make a problem if he stated he was sorry.
“We're offering authorized help for the sufferer and can proceed to comply with O’s trial,” a spokeswoman for Korea Girls Hyperlink, a Seoul-based ladies’s group, advised THR. “For the reason that trial is pending, we can't talk about additional in regards to the particulars of the allegations.”
Previous to Squid Sport, O was greatest often called a outstanding stage actor who had appeared in acclaimed native variations of performs like King Lear and Faust. He additionally appeared in numerous award-winning movies, together with director Kim Ki-duk’s Spring, Summer season, Fall, Winter and Spring.
For the reason that scandal started he has confronted varied types of fallout. Following the indictment, O dropped out of the play Love Letter, whereas a government-funded promoting marketing campaign about regulation innovation that includes O was suspended solely.
The Korean arts scene got here below intense scrutiny in 2018 after a sequence of feminine actors got here ahead and revealed their tales of sexual harassment and assault by the hands of male colleagues and administrators.
On Friday, members of native civic teams stood outdoors the courtroom and shouted at O, claiming that he ought to admit to his wrongdoing and that Korea’s #MeToo motion hasn’t ended but.
O’s subsequent trial is scheduled to renew on April 14.