Yoo Ah-in Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Drug Charges and Evidence Tampering

Actor Yoo Ah-in, who was charged with the illicit administration of propofol, has been sentenced to prison following his first trial and was arrested in court.

On September 3rd, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 25, led by Chief Judge Ji Gwi-yeon, sentenced Yoo Ah-in to one year in prison and fined him 2 million won. The charges included violating the Narcotics Control Act, using and distributing marijuana, and destroying evidence.

The court’s decision included immediate arrest due to concerns about the possibility of fleeing. The prosecution had originally sought a four-year prison sentence.

Yoo Ah-in was on trial for the habitual administration of medical propofol—181 times under the guise of sleep anesthesia for cosmetic procedures at hospitals in Seoul from September 2020 to March 2022. Additionally, he is accused of illegally purchasing 1,100 sleeping pills of two types under another person's name on 44 occasions from May 2021 to August 2023. In January of this year, Yoo Ah-in was also accused of smoking hemp in the United States with four others, including Choi, and instructing others on how to smoke it. Furthermore, in February of last year, following media reports on the drug allegations, he was charged with instructing acquaintances to destroy evidence and suggesting they “delete all their mobile phones.”

After the verdict, Yoo Ah-in issued a brief statement expressing his regret: "I'm sorry for causing concern to many people."