Squid Game actor O Yeong-su to stand trial on indecent assault charges in South Korea

The Squid Game actor O Yeong-su will stand trial on charges of indecent assault after a woman accused him of inappropriately touching her.

The trial of the Golden Globe winner, 78, was set for February at the district court in the South Korean city of Seongnam last week.

Specific details about the case could not be confirmed at this stage, Kim Myeong-un, an official in the district prosecutors’ office, said.

O allegedly made unwanted physical contact with the woman, who has not been identified, at a meeting five years ago.

He denies any wrongdoing and has claimed he only held the woman’s hands to “show her the way” as they walked around a lake, according to a local television channel.

O said he had offered the woman an apology, not because he accepted the accusations against him were valid, but because the woman allegedly told him she “wouldn’t raise an issue” about the incident if he did, according to JTBC.

O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe in January after he was named the best supporting actor for his role in Squid Game.

The violent Netflix drama follows a group of severely indebted adults competing in a series of deadly children’s games for a share of a cash prize.

O was also nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Oh Il-nam, a mysterious elderly contestant who joined the games after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

O has not yet commented publicly on the allegations.