The Supreme Court's 1st Division (Chief Justice Ma Yong-joo) on the 3rd upheld the original ruling, sentencing Yoo Ah-in to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation and a fine of 2 million won for violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), smoking marijuana, and other charges.
On 4th, following reports that the police had placed a travel ban on the actor who habitually used propofol, Yoo Ah-in's side acknowledged that the actor in question was indeed Yoo Ah-in.
According to the investigation, Yoo Ah-in was charged in October 2023 for allegedly using propofol 181 times at hospitals in Seoul under the pretext of anesthesia from September 2020 to March 2022. It was also revealed that he borrowed the names of family and acquaintances to receive the treatments.
In addition, he is accused of using midazolam, ketamine, and remimazolam, and from May 2021 to August 2023, he illegally obtained prescriptions for two types of sleeping pills a total of 44 times under other people's names, purchasing over 1,100 doses. Furthermore, in January 2023, while traveling in Los Angeles, he is accused of smoking marijuana and requesting more from an acquaintance who witnessed his marijuana use.
First trial: Actual imprisonment and 'concern of flight leading to court confinement'
As the trial began in earnest, the first trial judge took a serious view of Yoo Ah-in's charges. In September 2024, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to 1 year in prison and a fine of 2 million won, as well as confinement in court.
The first trial court explained, "Given the duration, frequency, method, and quantity of the offenses, strict punishment is inevitable. The defendant exploited loopholes in the legal management of medical narcotics, indicating poor moral character. Considering the various circumstances outlined in the records, it is hard to believe that the risk of recidivism is low due to a serious dependence on psychotropic drugs."
Furthermore, they noted, "Especially since the medical staff warned Yoo Ah-in of the risks of excessive administration of propofol and cautioned him as early as 2021, and yet he continued to commit offenses, this concern is heightened. The lack of awareness about the dangers of narcotics is evident, as he also smoked marijuana along with dependence on anesthetics and sleeping pills." The first trial court added that there was a concern of flight, leading to Yoo Ah-in's confinement in court.
After the first trial concluded, both the prosecution and Yoo Ah-in's side appealed, citing unfair sentencing. The prosecution requested a 4-year sentence, urging all charges to be found guilty, maintaining the same position as the first trial. However, the second trial's judgment differed from the prosecution and the first trial.
Second trial: 5 months in custody, remorse leads to probation
In February 2025, the Seoul High Court sentenced Yoo Ah-in to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation and a fine of 2 million won. With this probation, Yoo Ah-in was released and allowed to return home from the detention center.
The second trial court stated, "Medical narcotics are strictly managed by law due to their addictive nature, and the defendant committed crimes by arbitrarily using the names of family and acquaintances to exploit management loopholes. This shows poor moral character and is highly condemnable," affirming the judgment of poor moral character as in the first trial.
However, the court noted, "The defendant appears to have committed these offenses due to suffering from long-standing sleep disorders and depression, enduring considerable pain from not being able to sleep well," and added, "It seems he has largely overcome his drug dependency and has vowed not to reoffend."
Additionally, taking into account that he has shown remorse over more than 5 months of confinement and has no history of similar offenses, the court acknowledged, "Considering the motive of the offense, means and consequences, and the circumstances after the crime, the sentence given in the first trial was excessively harsh and we recognize its unfairness."
And the Supreme Court
The appellate court issued a lighter sentence than the first trial, prompting the prosecution to submit an appeal. Ultimately, Yoo Ah-in's case reached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also upheld the second trial's ruling, confirming Yoo Ah-in's sentence of 1 year in prison, a 2-year probation, and a fine of 2 million won.
Meanwhile, attention is focused on Yoo Ah-in's future activities. Yoo Ah-in had already completed filming for the Netflix series "The Fool of the End" and the films "The Match" and "High Five" during the controversy. "The Fool of the End" was released last year with a minimized role for Yoo Ah-in, while "The Match" and "High Five" were released in March and May without editing out Yoo Ah-in.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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