SEOUL • T.O.P's family is disputing police accounts that the star of K-pop group BigBang is "asleep" under the influence of drugs he took.

Yesterday morning, his mother teared up in front of reporters gathered at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, where he is in intensive care.

Since February, the 29-year-old has been doing his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman.

On Monday, he was indicted on charges of smoking marijuana. He is suspected of smoking the banned substance four times with a female trainee singer at his home in Seoul in October last year.

On Tuesday, he was found in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Yangcheon-gu, showing symptoms similar to a drug overdose.

His mother told the reporters: "My son is in bad shape. It's as if he is dying. Police told the media that he's drowsy from sleeping pills, but that's misinforming the public.

"He was brought to the hospital unconscious. The doctor has confirmed this."

According to his agency, YG Entertainment, his family is upset the police announced that T.O.P is "asleep". The family said that he is actually unconscious and wearing an oxygen mask.

The right to visit T.O.P in hospital is restricted and only a few family members are staying by his side.

A YG Entertainment representative told a media outlet: "Even if he awakens, we are not sure if he had his oxygen cut off when he was first found unconscious."

On Tuesday, the police said T.O.P appeared to have overdosed on tranquillizers that he had been taking for medical reasons.

They said: "According to the doctor's statement, T.O.P is not in a critical condition, but he is asleep as the drug he took had sleep-inducing effects.

"It will take a day or two for the drug to wear off and afterwards, T.O.P will have no trouble going back to his normal life."

T.O.P had been stationed in Gangnam in Seoul, but was transferred to a different police corps following his indictment.

KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK