Yoo Ah-in Requests Police Appearance Date Adjustment... "Confidentiality is the Principle"

Yoo Ah-in's Side "No Intention to Delay Attendance"

Actor Yoo Ah-in (real name Eom Hong-sik), who was scheduled to be summoned by the police on the 24th for habitual propofol use and drug use suspicions, requested to reschedule his appearance date. The reason cited was that the principle of a non-public summons was not upheld.

Yoo Ah-in's legal representative stated in a press release on the 23rd, "Mr. Eom Hong-sik was notified by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit to appear for questioning this Friday (March 24)." He added, "At that time, the police informed the lawyer that Mr. Eom's summons would be non-public, and regardless of whether this was communicated, according to the 'Regulations on Public Relations Concerning Police Investigation Cases,' the principle is that a suspect's summons should be non-public."

He continued, "However, all media outlets reported that Mr. Eom would appear on Friday, and among these reports, there were articles stating that the police confirmed the date and time of Mr. Eom's appearance." He emphasized, "As a result, Mr. Eom's appearance effectively became a public summons, which clearly violates the relevant legal regulations."

Actor Yoo Ah-in. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He further stated, "Therefore, as the legal representative, I had no choice but to request the police to adjust the appearance date." He added, "I would like to reiterate that this request to reschedule does not mean Mr. Eom intends to deliberately delay his appearance, and once the date is agreed upon with the police, he plans to appear promptly, cooperate sincerely with the investigation, and undergo questioning faithfully."

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit had planned to summon Yoo on the 24th as a suspect under the Narcotics Control Act (including psychotropic substances) for questioning. The police received forensic results from the National Forensic Service on the 17th of last month, indicating positive reactions for four types of narcotics?marijuana, propofol, cocaine, and ketamine?in Yoo's hair and urine samples.

The police launched an investigation based on the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's findings that Yoo's propofol prescriptions were excessively frequent. On the 13th and 14th, the police summoned Yoo's manager and acquaintances as witnesses for questioning.

Additionally, from early last month to early this month, the police conducted search and seizure operations at hospitals and clinics in Gangnam and Yongsan districts of Seoul suspected of prescribing propofol and other substances to Yoo, as well as at Yoo's residence.