Actor Yoo Ah-in (real name Eom Hong-sik, 39) has been sentenced to a suspended prison term in the appeal trial.
On the afternoon of the 18th at 2:20 PM, the 5th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Soon-hyung, An Seung-hoon, Sim Seung-woo) sentenced Yoo Ah-in to a suspended sentence of 1 year for violating the Narcotics Control Act and other charges. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million won, complete 80 hours of drug rehabilitation education, and pay a forfeiture of 1,548,710 won.
The prosecution had sought a 4-year prison sentence. Yoo Ah-in was previously sentenced to 1 year in prison, a fine of 2 million won, 80 hours of drug rehabilitation education, and a forfeiture of 1.54 million won in the first trial last September, and was taken into custody.
The court stated, “Drug-related crimes are not easily detected and have a significant harmful impact on society as a whole,” adding, “Considering that he habitually used narcotics 181 times, a punishment commensurate with this is necessary. The fact that he used legal loopholes to misuse strictly regulated substances is a serious offense that warrants condemnation.”
It further explained, “Yoo Ah-in suffers from sleep disorders and depression, and his crimes stemmed from the pain of not being able to sleep properly. He appears to have developed a significant dependency and has pledged not to reoffend. He has spent 5 months in detention, allowing him ample time for reflection, and he has no prior convictions for similar offenses. Considering these various factors, the original sentence is deemed excessively harsh and unjust.”
Yoo Ah-in's acquaintance, Choi, who is also accused of smoking marijuana with him, received the same sentence as in the original trial: 8 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, along with 40 hours of drug rehabilitation education.
From September 2020 to March last year, Yoo Ah-in is accused of administering four types of medical narcotics—propofol, midazolam, ketamine, and remimazolam—181 times, and from May 2021 to August last year, he is also accused of illegally obtaining over 1,100 sleeping pills through 44 prescriptions under another person's name. Additionally, he is charged with smoking marijuana in the U.S. with four accomplices, including Choi, and instructing a YouTuber named Hairmon to witness the act.
In a closing statement during the sentencing hearing held last December, Yoo Ah-in tearfully expressed, “I still find it difficult to bear the shame and guilt, but I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect, which I have never had before, and I will do my utmost for correction and recovery.”
Yoo Ah-in's lawyer pleaded for leniency, stating, “He has suffered severe stress from the pressure to meet public expectations and maintain his popularity. Although he has been suffering from mental illnesses such as depression, he could not receive proper treatment due to the nature of his profession as an actor, and overcoming his sleep disorder was limited by personal will alone.” In the second trial, he mentioned the loss of his father last August, claiming, “I must live with the guilt that my father passed away because of my crime. There can be no greater punishment than this.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
