Squid Game Actor '001' Indicted Over Sexual Misconduct
A South Korean prosecutor revealed on Friday that actor O Yeong-su of Squid Game has been charged with sexual misconduct.
Lydia Kadima 
The Squid Game film imagines a horrific society in which marginalized individuals are pitted against one another in conventional children's games that become lethal.
Squid Game became Netflix's most successful series launch ever with 111 million viewers in less than a month and is currently one of the most watched programs on the network.
The 78-year-old was the first South Korean to win a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor in a series in January for his portrayal of a frail-looking elderly man in the wildly popular Netflix film.
He was reportedly charged by the South Korean prosecution on Thursday without being imprisoned for allegedly inappropriately touching a woman's body in 2017.
Without going into greater detail, a representative from the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office said that anything written by local media about O "is not factually inaccurate."
Following the announcement, local reports stated that Seoul's culture ministry made the decision to halt the airing of a government advertisement featuring O.
The popularity of the program has increased South Korea's already disproportionate influence on world popular culture, which follows the international success of entities like the Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" and the K-pop band BTS.
O is not the only South Korean actor indicted over sexual misconduct, others in the South Korean film business who have been accused of sexual assault include the late director Kim Ki-duk and actors Cho Jae-hyun and Oh Dal-su.
Netflix confirmed on June 12, 2022, that Squid Game would be renewed for a second season.
A few days later, Netflix revealed plans to create a reality TV show based on Squid Game, one of its most well-liked thriller series.
The Challenge, a 10-episode television series, would feature the biggest cast and one-time cash prize in the annals of reality television.
The reality show, however, won't be as life-or-death as it was in the first season; instead, the 456 contestants will compete in games where the worst outcome is losing the $4.56 million in prize money.
