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The Korea Times

Agence France-Presse

Another South Korean actor, and an actress, are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
High-profile actor Yoo Ah-in was found guilty on September 3 of illegal use of the anaesthetic drug propofol and handed a one-year prison sentence.
On the same day, actress Han So-hee’s agency, 9ato Entertainment, issued an official statement addressing concerns about her mother’s involvement in illegal gambling operations.
“The matter reported on September 2 regarding actress Han So-hee’s mother is entirely her mother’s personal decisions,” the agency said.

According to a report from the TV Chosun network, prosecutors arrested Han’s mother, who is in her fifties, on charges of operating 12 illegal gambling establishments nationwide since 2021.
In the statement, Han’s agency said: “Han So-hee also learned about this incident through the news and is deeply distressed by the situation.”
The agency said this situation is entirely the result of her mother’s independent actions and “has no connection to the actress”.
It added: “We also apologise for having to share uncomfortable news related to a personal matter rather than her work.”
Han gained popularity with her roles in dramas such as The World of the Married, Nevertheless, My Name, and Gyeongseong Creature.

Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik, was accused of using propofol on 181 occasions between 2020 and 2022. The drugs were administered at professional clinics, under the guise of having cosmetic procedures done.
The prosecution had sought a four-year sentence for the Hellbound actor, but the Seoul Central District Court handed the 37-year-old a one-year jail term.
“He is deemed guilty of all his purchases for habitual drug use,” the court stated in its ruling.
The court said Yoo had committed the offences “in disregard of relevant regulations” and displayed a “lack of caution against drug substances”.
A doctor who administered propofol to Yoo without a proper prescription was fined 40 million won (US$29,800) last month.

Propofol, used as a surgical anaesthetic, is sometimes abused recreationally, often with the involvement of medical professionals who may provide it without a legitimate clinical need. An overdose of the drug was cited as the cause of pop star Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.
“I am sorry for having caused concern to many people,” Yoo was quoted as saying in court.
Yoo rose to stardom following his debut in 2003, starring in a range of television dramas and films across genres, and becoming one of the country’s most recognisable actors.
This is not the first time Han has faced controversies related to her mother’s financial issues.

In 2020, Han disclosed on her blog that she learned of her estranged mother’s debts only after turning 20 and had attempted to repay them out of a sense of filial duty.
She also expressed regret, stating: “I feel nothing but remorse, as my mistaken belief that repaying the debts would solve everything only led to more victims.”
In 2022, when another controversy involving her mother arose, 9ato Entertainment issued a statement saying: “Her mother used a bank account under Han’s name to borrow money. The mother had opened the account without Han’s knowledge when she was a minor and used it to borrow money secretly.”
This article includes content from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times. Read the original story at The Korea Times.


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My Name actress ‘deeply distressed’ by mother’s arrest for illegal gambling business; Hellbound actor Yoo Ah-in jailed one year for drug use


Korean actress Han So-hee distances herself from mother’s arrest over illegal gambling, as Korean actor Yoo Ah-in is jailed for a year for using propofol, the drug that killed Michael Jackson.
