The K-pop scandal, which broke in January, is moving into the punishment stage.

On Tuesday (July 2), actor-singer Park Yoo-chun, 33, was sentenced to two years of probation and fined US$1,200 (S$1,627) over drug use.

He was accused of buying and taking drugs with ex-fiancee Hwang Ha-na, a socialite, on six occasions in 2019.

The prosecutors requested a year and six months in prison for Park, who did not contest the charges.

While the judge observed that drug-taking was a serious offence, he decided that a suspended jail sentence would suffice for the artist, given that he cooperated with the authorities and was a first-time offender, reported South Korean media.

Park, who had been held in a detention centre since April 26, was in an apologetic mood after he was freed.

The tired-looking singer brushed away tears when he told journalists outside the court that he would work hard to regain the trust of his fans.

While netizens posted words of encouragement, some were upset that he had got off lightly, given the devastating effects of drug-taking on society.

Park had also not come clean in April, when he denied that he was a drug user and that he did not send money to a drug dealer.

While the court has dealt with Park's case, cases involving other artists - from former BigBang singer Seungri, 28, to former FT Island member Choi Jong-hoon, 29 - are still winding their way through the legal system.

Seungri is accused of embezzlement and procurement of prostitutes for would-be investors of his businesses.

The scandal has also forced Yang Hyun-suk, founder of South Korea's YG Entertainment which manages many top artists, to step down.