Supreme Court to Deliver Verdict on Actor Yoo Ah-in's Drug Use Charges Today

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict today (3rd) on actor Yoo Ah-in (real name Uhm Hong-sik), who faces charges of habitual drug use.

According to the legal community, the Supreme Court's first division, presided over by Justice Ma Yong-ju, will announce its ruling on Yoo Ah-in's appeal against charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, including the use of psychotropic substances and marijuana, as well as incitement.

Yoo Ah-in was indicted for allegedly administering medical narcotics, including propofol, 181 times from September 2020 to January 2023. He was also charged with illegally obtaining and purchasing over 1,100 sleeping pills under another person's name on 44 occasions between May 2021 and August 2022.

Additionally, in January 2023, he was accused of smoking marijuana with an acquaintance, identified as Choi, in the United States and encouraging others to do the same.



In the first trial last September, Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to one year in prison and fined KRW 2 million. He was also ordered to complete an 80-hour drug rehabilitation program and pay an additional KRW 1.54 million.

Both Yoo Ah-in and the prosecution appealed the first trial's decision. In the second trial held in February, the court upheld the initial verdict of guilt but agreed with Yoo Ah-in's claim that the sentence was too harsh. His sentence was reduced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and a fine of KRW 2 million. Yoo Ah-in was released after five months in custody at the Seoul Detention Center.

The court noted that while the misuse of medical narcotics and the use of another person's name were serious offenses, "Yoo Ah-in appears to have overcome his drug dependency and has pledged not to reoffend." The court considered various factors and deemed the original sentence excessive.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ah-in's films "The Match" and "High Five," completed before the controversy, were released in March and May, drawing 2.14 million and 1.85 million viewers, respectively.

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This article was originally published in Korean on Xportsnews and was translated into English using AI.

by Kim Yoojin