High-profile Yoo Ah-in, a South Korean actor, was found guilty on Tuesday of illegally using the anesthetic drug propofol and sentenced to one year in prison, according to Yonhap news agency.
Yoo, whose true name is Uhm Hong-sik, was accused of using propofol 181 times between 2020 and 2022. The medicines were provided at professional clinics while patients were undergoing cosmetic surgeries.
The prosecution sought a four-year sentence for the “Hellbound” actor, but the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to one year in jail, Yonhap said.
“He is deemed guilty of all his purchases for habitual drug use,” the court noted in its decision, according to Yonhap News TV.
According to the court, Yoo committed the offenses “in disregard of relevant regulations” and had a “lack of caution against drug substances.”
A doctor who gave Yoo propofol without a valid prescription was penalized 40 million won ($30,000) last month.
Propofol, while predominantly used as a surgical anaesthetic, is occasionally abused recreationally, typically with the assistance of medical practitioners who are ready to prescribe it without a legitimate therapeutic need.
In 2009, music singer Michael Jackson died after an overdose of the substance, according to reports.
“I am sorry for having caused concern to many people,” Yoo was quoted as saying in court by Yonhap.
Yoo rose to prominence in the South after making his debut in 2003, appearing in a variety of television dramas and films across genres and becoming one of the country’s most recognizable actors.
This trial marks the latest drug scandal in South Korea.
In a similar scenario, K-pop sensation G-Dragon was accused of drug use and questioned by police, but the case was dismissed in November due to inadequate evidence.
Actor Lee Sun-kyun, famed for his part in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” committed suicide in December after being accused of illegal substance use, triggering public indignation over what many saw as an overzealous police inquiry lacking substantial proof.
Lee Jae-yong, then-Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, was convicted of illegally using propofol in 2021 and fined 70 million won. He was found guilty of frequently receiving anaesthesia at a plastic surgery facility in Seoul over a period of several years.