SEOUL – Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite (2019), will be summoned for questioning some time this week at the earliest, according to reports on Sunday citing police, as part of an expanding investigation into suspected drug abuse involving the actor and others, including a chaebol scion.
According to the reports, the police are also considering a warrant for drug testing the hair of the 48-year-old South Korean actor in case he refuses to comply. The police have not initiated an investigation yet, but have been assessing whether allegations of his involvement in illegal drug use in 2023 could lead to potential legal consequences.
Lee is reported to have used unspecified illicit substances at escort bars and residential areas in southern Seoul’s Gangnam area on several occasions in 2023, according to reports.
He is one of eight people subject to the probe. The others include Han Seo-hee, a K-pop trainee who came to public attention in 2017 for smoking cannabis with former BigBang member T.O.P at his apartment, and Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products.
The two are also suspected of illegal drug use at adult entertainment facilities linked to the actor. The names of others have not yet been revealed.
Lee’s case is stoking fears over a potential nationwide drug epidemic, despite South Korea’s efforts to bring its once “drug-free” reputation back on track.
The actor’s latest K-horror flick Sleep is screening in Singapore at Golden Village and indie cinema operator The Projector.
Apart from Lee, prosecutors on Thursday indicted actor Yoo Ah-in – who was in Netflix series Hellbound (2021) – without detention on charges of habitual illegal drug use nearly a month after the court dismissed his arrest warrant for a second time.
The 37-year-old actor, who was born Uhm Hong-sik, is suspected of breaching the country’s Narcotics Control Act by administering propofol – a substance used to help a person relax or sleep before and during surgery or other medical procedures – and other medical drugs on 181 occasions at clinics across Seoul since 2020.
While the fallout continues over allegations against A-list actors of drug use, the drug crime investigation unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency last Friday said they had arrested 37 drug ring members – including a smuggler, eight distributors and 28 buyers– on charges of violating the country’s criminal law and Narcotics Control Act.
The police have requested a red notice for the purported mastermind, who is believed to be staying overseas. They also seized 9kg of methamphetamine during the investigation, which could be up to 300,000 doses.
Health Ministry data reviewed by the Board of Audit and Inspection on Thursday showed that some 44 doctors have prescribed and administered narcotics more than 50 times a year from May 2018 to the end of 2022, raising concerns about loopholes in attaining drugs through self-medication and the ministry’s lack of handling to ensure safe drug prescriptions.
The authorities have also detected a stark rise in illegal foreign exchange transactions over the past five years, with some money laundering methods used for illicit drug purchases and smuggling, according to Customs data received by lawmaker Hwang Hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
Some 12,700 drug offenders were arrested in the first eight months of 2023, with a particular increase in younger age groups, far surpassing 2022’s total of 12,387 arrests, which was the highest number in 10 years, according to the National Police Agency. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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2023-10-23 06:52:48Z
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