Yoo Ah-in receives suspended prison sentence in drug case
Yoo Ah-in, who is facing charges for illegal drug use, has received a suspended prison sentence per the final ruling of South Korea's high court.
Korean media outlets Soompi and Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the Supreme Court’s First Division upheld the February ruling and finalized that the actor's one-year prison sentence will be suspended for two years. "All of the prosecution’s appeals are dismissed,” the court stated.
The 38-year-old actor, who was indicted for habitual drug use, noted that he is still facing a fine worth 2 million won ($1,470 or around P82,000) for violating the Narcotics Control Act, illegal marijuana use, and incitement or encouraging others to use the drug.
During the first trial in September 2024, Yoo was sentenced to one year in prison and a 2 million won fine after he was found guilty of all his purchases for habitual drug use.
Yoo was brought to trial in 2023 for illegal drug use. Investigation showed he tested positive for propofol, marijuana, cocaine, and ketamine. He was accused of using propofol on 181 occasions between 2020 and 2022 in professional clinics, disguising it as sedation for cosmetic procedures.
During the first trial in September of last year, he was sentenced to one year in prison and was slapped with a fine of 2 million won. Before this, the doctor who administered propofol to the actor without a proper prescription was fined 40 million won (nearly P1.7 million).
Last February, he was released from prison five months after the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 5 overturned the original ruling of one year in prison and granted him a one-year sentence with a two-year suspension after his appeal trial.
“Considering the motive, means, and consequences of the crime, as well as the circumstances following the offense, the sentence handed down in the first trial was excessively heavy and unjust,” the court stated at the time.
Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik, made his acting debut in the TV series Sharp back in 2004. He became known for starring in movies Seoul Vibe (2022), #Alive (2020), Default (2018), and Veteran (2015), as well as K-dramas Hellbound (2021) and Chicago Typewriter (2017), among others.
