Oh Yeong Soo was acquitted after the Supreme Court dismissed the prosecutors' final appeal completely.
Squid Game actor's legal battle lasted more than three years before final verdict.
Court found evidence insufficient despite earlier conviction and suspended eight-month prison sentence.
Oh Yeong Soo acquitted has become one of the biggest developments in South Korean entertainment after the country's Supreme Court upheld the veteran actor's acquittal in a sexual misconduct case. The ruling brings an end to a legal battle that lasted more than three years, closing proceedings that began after allegations relating to incidents said to have occurred in 2017. The decision is final after prosecutors' appeal was dismissed.
South Korea Supreme Court upholds Oh Yeong Soo acquittal
The Supreme Court's Third Division dismissed the prosecution's appeal, ruling that the grounds presented were procedurally invalid. As a result, the appellate court's not guilty verdict now stands.
The actor had been indicted in 2022 over allegations that he had hugged and kissed a female theatre troupe member without her consent during separate incidents in 2017. In the initial trial, he was convicted and handed an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Why the Squid Game actor's conviction was overturned
The appellate court later reversed that decision, stating that criminal convictions require proof beyond reasonable doubt. While the judges acknowledged that suspicion remained, they found inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony and concluded that the available evidence was insufficient to establish guilt beyond that legal standard.
The court also determined that an apology message sent by Oh Yeong Soo could not automatically be interpreted as an admission of criminal conduct. Instead, it was viewed as a broad attempt to prevent the dispute from escalating.
Oh Yeong Soo, widely recognised around the world for portraying Player 001 in Netflix's Squid Game, became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe for the role. The Supreme Court's ruling, delivered this week, officially concludes one of the country's most closely watched celebrity legal cases.
