Actor Yoo Ah-in (real name Eom Hong-sik, 39) has been sentenced to a suspended prison term in his appeal. The court found the original sentence of imprisonment to be too harsh.
On the afternoon of the 18th, the 5th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Soon-hyung, An Seung-hoon, Sim Seung-woo) sentenced Yoo Ah-in, who was indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act, to 1 year in prison with a 2-year suspension. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million won, complete 80 hours of community service, undergo 40 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 during the first instance ruling in September of last year, and was taken into custody.
On this day, the court reduced Yoo Ah-in's sentence from imprisonment to a 1-year suspended sentence, stating, "The prosecution has no grounds to argue that the sentencing is unjust, while Yoo Ah-in does."
The court explained, "Drug-related crimes are not easily detected and have a significant harmful impact on society. Considering that he habitually used narcotics 181 times, a corresponding punishment is necessary. The fact that he exploited legal loopholes to misuse strictly regulated substances is a serious offense. However, taking into account that Yoo Ah-in suffers from sleep disorders and depression, which led to his crimes, that he appears to have developed a significant dependency, that he has pledged not to reoffend, that he has had sufficient time for reflection during his 5-month detention, and that he has no prior convictions for similar offenses, we recognize that the original sentence was excessive and unjust."
Yoo Ah-in's acquaintance, Choi, who is also accused of smoking marijuana with him, received the same sentence as in the first instance: 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspension, along with an order to complete 40 hours of drug rehabilitation education.
From September 2020 to March of 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 of last year, he is also accused of illegally obtaining over 1,100 sleeping pills through prescriptions under another person's name on 44 occasions. Additionally, he is charged with instructing a YouTuber named Hairmon to smoke marijuana in the U.S. along with four accomplices, including his acquaintance Choi.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
