Yoo Ah In will serve probation instead of jail time after South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a suspended one-year prison sentence on July 3 for his habitual use of drugs, including propofol and marijuana.
The court finalized the lower court’s ruling today, along with a fine of 2 million won (approximately $1,440). He was convicted on several counts under the Narcotics Control Act, while acquitted on others.
According to the court, Yoo regularly received injections of medical-grade propofol between September 2020 and March 2022, allegedly as anesthesia for cosmetic procedures at various hospitals in Seoul. Authorities say this occurred 181 times during that period.
The total amount of drugs administered reportedly included 9,635.7 mL of propofol, 567 mg of midazolam, 11.5 mg of ketamine, and 200 mg of remimazolam.
Yoo was also accused of illegally obtaining more than 1,100 sleeping pills on 44 separate occasions between May 2021 and August 2023 under other people’s names. Additionally, he was accused of smoking marijuana and encouraging others to do the same while in the U.S. in January 2023, alongside a person identified as Choi.
In the first trial last September, Yoo was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 2 million won. He was taken into custody immediately following the verdict and was ordered to complete 80 hours of drug rehabilitation education and pay a restitution fee of approximately 1.54 million won (about $1,134).
In February, a higher court reduced the sentence to a suspended one-year term with two years of probation. The court also maintained the fine, increased restitution slightly to 1.548 million won, and required Yoo to complete 80 hours of community service and 40 hours of drug education.
The court commented, “Drug offenses are difficult to detect, carry a high risk of repeat offenses, and can have serious social consequences due to their addictive and hallucinogenic nature. The defendant manipulated drug regulations by using the names of family and acquaintances, which reflects poorly on his character and warrants strong criticism.”
However, the court also acknowledged mitigating factors: “It appears the defendant’s actions comes from long-term struggles with insomnia and depression. He seems to have made significant progress in overcoming his substance dependence and has expressed sincere remorse and a commitment not to reoffend.”
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