"Used for Profit"... Doctor Who Administered Propofol to Yoo Ain Also Fined in Second Trial

First Trial: "Used Propofol as a Means of Profit"
Both Prosecution and Defendant Appeal
Second Trial Also Imposes "4 Million Won Fine"

Actor Yoo Ain (real name Eom Hongsik), who was indicted on charges of habitual propofol use, is attending the first trial sentencing held on September 3 last year at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The doctor who administered the psychotropic drug propofol to actor Yoo Ain without medical records has once again been sentenced to a fine in the appellate trial.

On July 8, the Criminal Appellate Division 9-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Ryu Changseong, Jeong Hyewon, and Choi Bowon) sentenced Doctor A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic drugs), to a fine of 4,000 won, the same as in the first trial.

Doctor A and five other doctors were brought to trial in January last year on charges of excessively prescribing psychotropic drugs such as sleeping pills and propofol to Yoo Ain.

The appellate court explained its decision to dismiss the appeals, stating, "Both the defendant and the prosecutor appealed on the grounds of unfair sentencing, but it appears that the original court already took various circumstances into account, and the reasons for sentencing have already been reflected."

The first trial court reached the same conclusion on August 1 last year. The first-instance court pointed out, "By issuing prescriptions six times and falsely writing prescriptions without direct examination, the defendant used propofol as a means of profit, which makes the nature of the crime particularly egregious."

However, the court also explained the reasons for sentencing, stating, "The defendant has shown genuine remorse, has no prior criminal record, and family members and acquaintances have petitioned for leniency. Therefore, a prison sentence was considered somewhat harsh." As a result, both the defendant and the prosecution appealed, leading to the second trial.

Yoo Ain was sentenced by the Supreme Court on July 3 to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for habitual administration of medical propofol and other drugs under the pretense of sedation for cosmetic procedures at hospitals in Seoul a total of 181 times between September 2020 and March 2022.