SEOUL – South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in was questioned by the police on Monday over allegations of habitual use of illegal drugs, according to investigators and reports.
The police are also reportedly considering seeking an arrest warrant for Mr Yoo.
Mr Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik, appeared at the Mapo-gu office of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency at around 9.20am local time, flanked by a group of star lawyers specialising in drug offences.
Mr Yoo was originally supposed to appear before the police on March 24, but he requested to postpone the date, citing that the schedule had been exposed to media.
He did not respond to reporters’ questions when entering the police office on Monday.
Mr Yoo’s lawyers include Mr Park Sung-jin, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer known as an expert of drug-related cases for his long experience with drug investigations for the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
Mr Cha Sang-ho and Mr Ahn Hyo-jung, both former prosecutors who previously worked at Kim & Chang, the nation’s largest law firm, also represent him.
Earlier this year, the police launched an investigation into Mr Yoo’s alleged drug use after it was revealed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety that he had received suspicious propofol prescriptions.
They found that he was administered propofol 73 times from Jan 4, 2021 to Dec 23, 2021.
The police had Mr Yoo tested on Feb 5 as he entered Incheon Airport from the United States. He has been banned from leaving the country since.
A close examination by the National Forensic Service showed positive results for four drugs – cannabis from Mr Yoo’s urine and propofol, cocaine and ketamine from his hair.
Among them, propofol and ketamine are commonly used as sleep-inducing anaesthesia for simple surgeries, but are also frequently misused for non-medical purposes.
The police have also seized evidence from Mr Yoo’s home and plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam-gu and Yongsan-gu, both in Seoul, where Mr Yoo was prescribed to have propofol administered.
They summoned Mr Yoo’s acquaintances and managers as witnesses. The police are also expected to inquire into accomplices who may have used drugs together with Mr Yoo.
Illegal use of propofol can result in up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won (S$103,000) in South Korea.
First-time offenders, like Mr Yoo would be, of recreational use of marijuana can be sentenced up to five years in prison or 50 million won in fines.
Regarding the propofol administration, Mr Yoo has claimed that he requested sleep anaesthesia because he feared needle injections while having treatment for a skin disease. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
