Yoo Ah-in Released After Drug Charges

Yoo Ah-in (유아인), the South Korean actor previously detained on charges of habitual drug use, has been released. On February 18, 2025, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 5, presided over by Judge Kwon Soon-hyung, held an appellate hearing regarding Yoo's case, which involved violations of the Narcotics Control Act. The court overturned the initial one-year prison sentence and instead imposed a one-year prison term with a two-year probation. Additionally, Yoo was fined 2 million KRW, ordered to pay 1,548,000 KRW in forfeiture, complete 80 hours of community service, and attend 40 hours of drug treatment lectures.

Yoo faced allegations of abusing four types of medical narcotics, including 9.6 liters of propofol, 567 mg of midazolam, 200 mg of remimazolam, and 10.7 ml of ketamine, at 14 hospitals in Seoul from September 2020 to March 2022, under the pretense of cosmetic procedures. He was also accused of illegally obtaining over 1,100 sleeping pills under another person's name from May 2021 to August 2022. In January 2025, he allegedly smoked marijuana three times in the United States and instructed a friend to conceal this fact.

The court found him guilty only of habitual drug use and the illegal procurement of medical narcotics, while acquitting him of charges related to marijuana possession and instructing others to destroy evidence. The judges noted the difficulty in detecting drug-related crimes and the significant societal harm they cause. They criticized Yoo for exploiting loopholes in drug management laws by using the names of family and friends for his actions. However, they acknowledged his long-standing struggles with sleep disorders and depression, which contributed to his offenses, and recognized that he appears to have largely overcome his drug dependency.