Actor Yoo Ah-in, who was indicted on charges of habitual drug use, has avoided imprisonment as he was sentenced to a suspended prison term.
On the morning of the 3rd, the Supreme Court's 1st Division (Chief Justice Ma Yong-joo) held a ruling on Yoo Ah-in's appeal regarding violations of the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), marijuana smoking, and instigation, stating, "We dismiss all appeals from the prosecution," and confirmed a sentence of 1 year in prison and 2 years of probation.
Yoo Ah-in was indicted for habitually using medical propofol and other substances 181 times under the pretense of undergoing cosmetic procedures with sleep anesthesia at hospitals in Seoul from September 2020 to March 2022.
He is also accused of illegally obtaining over 1,100 doses of two types of sleeping pills under another person's name 44 times from May 2021 to August 2023, and smoking marijuana in the United States with others, including Mr. Choi, and instigating others to smoke.
In the first trial, held in September last year, Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to 1 year in prison and fined 2 million won, and was taken into custody. The court recognized Yoo Ah-in's guilt for marijuana smoking, habitual use of medical narcotics, and habitual purchase under another's name, but found him not guilty of instigating marijuana smoking and evidence tampering. Both Yoo Ah-in and the prosecution appealed the first trial's verdict.
The second trial maintained the same judgment on guilt or innocence as the first trial but reduced the sentence in February to 1 year in prison with 2 years of probation and a fine of 2 million won. The opinion from Yoo Ah-in's side that "the sentence is too heavy" was accepted, and he was released after 5 months in the Seoul Detention Center.
The second trial court stated, "Drug-related crimes are not easily detected and have a significant harmful impact on society," and emphasized that "considering the fact that he habitually used narcotics 181 times, a corresponding punishment is necessary, and the nature of the crime is poor as he exploited loopholes in the law regarding strictly controlled substances."
It further explained the reasons for the sentence reduction, stating, "Yoo Ah-in suffers from sleep disorders and depression, and committed the crime due to the pain of not being able to sleep properly. He appears to have developed a significant dependency, has pledged not to reoffend, has had sufficient time to reflect during his 5 months of detention, and has no prior convictions for similar offenses, leading to the conclusion that the original sentence was excessively harsh."
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
