Finnish Prime Minister Involved in 'Gwangran-ui Party' Scandal Tests Negative for Drugs

Suspicion of Drug Use Cleared... Public Opinion Continues to Worsen
Allegations Raised Over Video Leak Due to Russian SNS Hacking

On the 17th (local time), Sanna Marin, the Prime Minister of Finland, appeared in a party video released by the Finnish local media Iltalehti (IL). In the video, Prime Minister Marin was seen dancing vigorously with about 20 famous figures from Finland. [Image source= Iltalehti (IL)]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who was embroiled in allegations of drug use following the leak of a wild party video, has reportedly tested negative in a drug test. While the drug use suspicions are expected to be cleared for now, her approval ratings are anticipated to drop significantly due to the expansion of the conduct controversy. Some have also raised suspicions that Russia hacked social media (SNS) to deliberately leak the video.

According to Finland's public broadcaster YLE on the 22nd (local time), the Finnish Prime Minister's Office stated in a press release that "Prime Minister Marin voluntarily underwent tests for multiple drugs at her own expense on the 19th, and the drug test results came back negative."

Earlier, on the 17th, Marin was caught up in drug use allegations following the leak of a party video through some Finnish media and SNS. When suspicions arose that slang referring to drugs was heard in the video, political circles in Finland, regardless of party lines, argued that drug tests should be conducted, leading to Marin taking the test herself.

In the video, Marin was seen passionately dancing and enjoying herself with Finnish singers, broadcasters, and members of parliament. Shortly after, another video surfaced showing her dancing in the VIP room of a famous club in Helsinki, where a scene appeared to show a famous singer kissing Marin on the neck, sparking infidelity rumors as well.

With the drug test results confirming negative, the drug use allegations have subsided for now, but the conduct controversy surrounding Prime Minister Marin is expected to continue for some time within Finland. A survey by Finnish MTV3 reported that two-thirds of respondents considered it a serious mistake.

In particular, criticism has been raised that this was inappropriate behavior during a critical security period, as Finland recently joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), heightening military tensions with neighboring Russia.

There are also suggestions that the phone or SNS accounts of close aides to the Prime Minister may have been hacked by Russia. According to The Guardian, the video was leaked after being posted on an SNS account accessible to only about 90 people among the party participants. It is possible that the Russian government is using this scandal as a strategy to destabilize the current Finnish government, which has resolved to withdraw from NATO.