High-profile South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to one year in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of illegally using the anaesthetic drug propofol, according to Yonhap news agency. Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik, was accused of using the drug 181 times between 2020 and 2022 under the pretext of undergoing cosmetic procedures at professional clinics.
Prosecutors had sought a four-year sentence for the 37-year-old “Hellbound” star, but the Seoul Central District Court instead handed down a one-year term, noting that Yoo was guilty of habitual drug use. “He committed the offenses in disregard of relevant regulations and showed a lack of caution against drug substances,” the court stated.
In connection with the case, a doctor who administered propofol to Yoo without a proper prescription was fined 40 million won ($30,000) last month.
Propofol, commonly used as a surgical anaesthetic, has a history of being abused recreationally, often with the complicity of medical professionals. The drug gained notoriety after it was identified as the cause of pop star Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.
“I am sorry for causing concern to many people,” Yoo said in court, as reported by Yonhap.
Yoo, who debuted in 2003, became one of South Korea’s most recognizable actors through his roles in various television dramas and films. His case is the latest in a series of drug scandals involving South Korean celebrities.
In a similar incident, K-pop star G-Dragon was questioned over drug use allegations, though the case was later dropped due to insufficient evidence. In another high-profile case, actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” took his own life in December after being accused of illegal substance use, which led to public outrage over what many saw as an excessive investigation.
In 2021, Lee Jae-yong, then vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, was fined 70 million won after being convicted of illegally using propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul over several years.
