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South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in was reportedly sentenced to one year in prison, a fine of 2 million KRW, and a surcharge of approximately 1.54 million KRW for violating the country's Narcotics Control Act. According to Chosun Biz, on Tuesday, September 2, 2024, the Seoul Central District Court's 25th Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Ji Gwi-yeon, announced the verdict in the drug case of 38-year-old Yoo Ah-in, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik.
The Hellbound actor was reportedly detained in the court following the decision due to flight risks. Besides this, he was ordered to participate in 80 hours of drug rehabilitation education. Yoo Ah-in was charged with medical drug intoxication, violating the Medical Act as well as the Narcotic Act.
According to the reports on September 2, the court did not find him guilty of other charges, like receiving marijuana, persuading four people to smoke marijuana, and ordering the destruction of evidence. This was reportedly due to a lack of evidence that the court could not sufficiently prove the accusations.
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Before his detention, Yoo Ah-in was asked if he had a word to say. He reportedly stated:
“I apologize for causing concern and worry to many people.”
Seoul Central District Court's reported statement on Yoo Ah-in's sentence for the drug case
In October 2023, actor Yoo Ah-in was accused of regulating medical narcotics 181 times in justification of taking general anesthesia for aesthetic purposes at Seoul Hospitals from September 2020 to March 2022. Additionally, he was accused of illegally purchasing 1,100 sleeping pills, including Stilnox and Xanax, under other people’s names on 44 different occasions from May 2021 to August 2022.
According to Chosun Biz, the medical drugs taken by Yoo Ah-in were reportedly confirmed to be propofol, remimazolam, midazolam, and ketamine. The prosecution had previously asked for a four-year imprisonment for the Chicago Typewriter actor's crimes.
However, on September 2, he was reportedly penalized with one year of imprisonment. The 25th Criminal Division of Seoul Central District Court allegedly stated:
“Medical narcotics are strictly regulated by relevant laws and regulations, but Mr. Yoo committed a crime by taking advantage of loopholes in the management methods stipulated in relevant laws and regulations, which is a serious crime.”
They further added:
“Considering various circumstances, Mr. Yoo appears to have a serious dependency on psychotropic drugs, so it is difficult to say that the risk of repeat offense is low.”
The sentence was reportedly imposed with consideration for the actor's declining mental health, his sincere confession, and consistent efforts to overcome his medical narcotics addiction.
The court said:
“Mr. Yoo had suffered from depression for a long time, and the main reason he habitually took medication was likely the pain of not being able to sleep. We took into account the fact that Mr. Yoo honestly confessed to his drug addiction and continued efforts to overcome it.”
In other news, in August, Yoo Ah-in was reportedly summoned by the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul for the first time in connection with charges of same-gender s*xual assault. According to Sports Chosun, he was questioned by police for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
A man in his 30s, identified as Mr. A, filed a complaint against the actor for allegedly s*xually assaulting him while he was asleep on August 15. However, the Seoul Vibe actor reportedly denied these accusations.
