Robert Harley "Undocumented immigrant who helped me offered drugs... A choice that should not have been made"

"An Unacceptable Choice... Negatively Influenced"

Broadcaster Robert Harley directly revealed the reason why he succumbed to the temptation of drugs five years ago.

On the 27th, during his appearance on MBN's 'Once Decided to Divorce,' Harley said, "There were many things. My father passed away seven years ago, and I relied on him a lot," adding, "After my father passed away, I was heartbroken and seemed to have been searching for something. I ended up depending on other people instead of my father."

He continued, "There was no one to talk to. There was stress at home, and my broadcasting work increased. I don't want to make excuses, but I have a slight case of narcolepsy," and confessed, "When stressed, my vigilance lowered, and my judgment of people deteriorated."

Broadcaster Robert Hailey Photo by MBN

Later, he revealed that he was offered 'drugs' by an undocumented immigrant he had helped. He said, "That person told me, 'If you take this, you won't feel sleepy and can easily do broadcasting,'" adding, "I made a choice I shouldn't have. No excuse can justify what happened then."

Psychiatrist Kim Byung-hoo asked, "Did you talk with your wife?" to which Harley replied, "We didn't talk much." Regarding the reason, he explained, "If I spoke, my wife would probably ask, 'Why did you do such a thing?' I hate fighting," and added, "At that time, I met the wrong people and was influenced badly. It was overwhelming to explain all this, and I didn't think a good conversation would come out of it."

In August 2019, broadcaster Ha Il Robert Hally, who was non-custodially indicted on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation at the sentencing trial held at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu. He is seen answering questions from the press as he leaves the court.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Harley is a broadcaster and former international lawyer who naturalized in Korea from the United States in 1997. Contrary to his exotic appearance, he gained public attention by fluently speaking the friendly Gyeongsang-do dialect.

In March 2019, he was prosecuted on charges of purchasing methamphetamine online and using it with a foreign acquaintance. Previously, in 2017 and 2018, he was investigated by the police for drug use but evaded drug tests by methods such as removing body hair.

Harley was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation period. Afterward, he stopped broadcasting activities but reappeared in public last August by attending a forum titled 'Drugs More Common than Alcohol Among Overseas Youth,' hosted by then-People Power Party lawmaker Tae Young-ho at the National Assembly. At that time, he emphasized, "I don't want to see drugs now. Just seeing a syringe makes me want to vomit," and added, "Because of such reasons, drug treatment and program support are necessary."