ENTERTAINMENT
Yoo Ah-in on drug charges demands guarantee of private summons
On the 15th, the head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency said at a regular meeting, "The person under investigation (Yoo Ah-in) is reacting sensitively to the summons date. It would be better to adjust the appearance date as quickly as possible and be investigated, but if that is not possible, then ),” he said.
The police notified Yoo Ah-in of his attendance schedule again on the 13th, but it is said that they are still maintaining their position to guarantee a private summons.
Yoo Ah-in was scheduled to appear at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Drug Crime Investigation Unit on the morning of the 11th and receive a second summons for investigation. But is it because they were conscious of the reporters at the scene? He returned without being investigated.
Yoo Ah-in's legal representative said, "We were notified of a request to appear and be investigated at 10 a.m. on May 11. In response, the lawyer requested a private summons based on the 'Rules on public information regarding police investigation cases, etc.' and the police also responded accordingly. “I agreed,” he said.
Next, "On May 10, 2023, the day before the investigation, there was a press article reporting that Mr. Eom Hong-sik was expected to be investigated the next day (May 11), and the lawyer asked the police whether the attendance schedule had been made public. However, the police have never disclosed the date of attendance, and as a rule, it will be held privately, so they expressed their position to appear as is,” he added.
The legal representative's side said, "Even in a situation where the attendance schedule was already made public, Mr. Eom Hong-sik wanted to participate in the investigation, and the lawyer responded that even if the situation where the schedule was already made public was unavoidable, it was possible, such as access through other routes, to comply with the principle of private summons." “We requested that action be taken, but the police did not accept it,” he explained.
In addition, "The police's summons to Mr. Eom Hong-sik was in fact a public summons, so we inevitably requested the police to discuss changing the date of attendance. Even during the summons process last March, the police announced that it was a private summons, but in fact, it was a public summons, so the defense attorney “The defense attorney is deeply concerned that the same situation occurred again during the current summons, despite having expressed his intention to protest once,” he said.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested the police to investigate, saying that Yoo Ah-in administered 4,497 mL of propofol 73 times from January 4, 2021 to December 23, 2021. On February 5, the police executed a search and seizure warrant for Yoo Ah-in's body at Incheon International Airport and conducted a quick urine test. As a result of the National Institute of Forensic Science analysis, three types of narcotic substances were detected in Yoo Ah-in's hair.
Propofol, which was suspected of habitual use, as well as marijuana, which tested positive in urine, and another third drug were detected. The third drug ingredients were cocaine and ketamine. Cocaine is highly addictive and hallucinogenic, so it is called one of the three major drugs along with methamphetamine and heroin. In addition, it was confirmed that medical staff were concerned about the frequent administration of propofol in several hospitals.
After undergoing the 12-hour initial investigation, Yoo Ah-in said, "I told you all the facts that I could reveal. I am deeply reflecting on the fact that I am standing in this position due to an unpleasant incident and have caused great disappointment to many people who have loved me." “As the investigation is not over, I am cautious about sharing the details directly. Personally, I think I have fallen into the wrong swamp of self-justification by claiming that my deviant actions did not harm anyone,” he said.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
