Korean actor Yoo Ah-in indicted for using marijuana, administering propofol 181 times

Korean actor Yoo Ah-in, known for the Netflix series “Hellbound” and movie “#Alive,” has been indicted on Oct. 19 on multiple charges including smoking marijuana.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office indicted Yoo Ah-in, 37, for violating South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, smoking marijuana, instigating the destruction of evidence, violating the Medical Service Act and fraud.

Korean actor Yoo Ah-in in “Hellbound” (Netflix)

Prosecutors charged that Yoo Ah-in, who will face a trial, habitually used medical propofol 181 times between September 2020 and March 2022 at hospitals in Seoul under the pretext of anesthesia for cosmetic procedures.

Propofol is a sleep-inducing drug used in surgeries and is a controlled substance in South Korea.

“Medical professionals must properly adjust propofol dose based on the patient’s weight, always bearing in mind that propofol has a high risk of misuse and abuse. Propofol should not be administered independently without reasons related to surgery, surgical procedures, or medical examinations,” according to a notice issued by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2020.

It added, “Also, it is advised that the number of propofol injections for simple surgical procedures does not exceed once every month and that medical professionals check on the patient’s propofol usage history before prescribing.”

The actor is also accused of buying 1,100 tablets of two types of sleeping pills prescribed under the name of other persons 44 times from May 2021 to August of last year.

In January of this year, he was accused of smoking marijuana in the United States with four other people, including his accomplice, an acquaintance named Choi.

“Through a supplementary investigation for three months after the police did not transfer the case, we additionally discovered Yoo Ah-in’s crimes of ordering an acquaintance to destroy evidence during the investigation and forcing a group member to smoke marijuana in the United States,” according to a prosecutor, Korean media reported.

Yoo Ah-in is currently accused of using more than seven types of drugs (violation of the Narcotics Control Act), including propofol, marijuana, ketamine, cocaine, zolpidem, midazolam, and alprazolam. He has denied using drugs other than marijuana.

The prosecution plans to continue investigating his alleged cocaine use and apprehend his accomplices who fled abroad.