Prosecutors objected to the appellate court's acquittal of actor Oh Young-soo on charges of sexual assault, sending the case to the Supreme Court.
On the 17th, prosecutors filed an appeal brief citing legal misinterpretation and other reasons with the Suwon District Court Criminal Appellate Division 6, which issued the appellate ruling in Oh Young-soo's sexual assault case (Presiding judges Kwak Hyung-seop, Kim Eun, Director General Kang Hee-kyung).
Earlier, Oh Young-soo was referred to trial on charges of inappropriate physical contact with a woman, A, in 2017. In response, Oh Young-soo reportedly denied the charges through a media outlet, saying he only held A's hand to guide her while walking along a lakeside and that it was not sexual assault. He also repeatedly denied the sexual assault, saying that the part for which he apologized to A was not something he did.
The first trial court in March last year found Oh Young-soo guilty, saying the victim's claim was consistent and the kind of testimony that someone who had not experienced it could not make, and sentenced him to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.
Both sides appealed the first trial, and the second-instance court overturned the original ruling and acquitted him. On the 11th, the appellate court explained the reason for the acquittal, saying there was a possibility the victim's memory had been distorted over time, and when there is doubt as to whether the defendant committed the sexual assault as alleged in the indictment, the defendant's benefit must be applied.
A immediately reacted against the appellate ruling, and in an official statement released through the Korea Women's Association United, she said the verdict was so unrealistic it was hard to believe and expressed deep regret. She added that the ruling shamefully reinforces the structure and hierarchy that enable sexual violence, and that the judiciary should responsibly reflect on the message this ruling sends to society.
She also said the acquittal can never nullify the truth or erase the pain she endured, and that she cannot stand by while the culture and arts sector and society's structure of sexual violence are ignored, and she will continue to speak the truth to the end.
Meanwhile, Oh Young-soo gained worldwide affection as the "grandfather of the kkanbu" for his role as Oh Il-nam in the 2021 Netflix Squid Game. The following year he became the first Korean actor to win the Golden Globe for best supporting actor on television. However, he was later indicted on sexual assault charges, which halted his activities and led major broadcasters such as Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) to suspend his appearances.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]