Yoo Ah-in's frequent propofol administration raised concerns among medical staff

Actor Yoo Ah-in, who is accused of drug use, said that frequent anesthesia during sleep was due to his phobia of needles.

According to MBC's 'News Desk' broadcast on the 2nd, it was revealed that the medical staff also discouraged Yoo Ah-in, who is suspected of habitually taking propofol, from taking the drug frequently. Propofol, marijuana, as well as cocaine and ketamine were detected in his hair.

MBC said, "A dermatology clinic that Yoo Ah-in visited for the purpose of a procedure in 2021 acknowledged the visit but kept the details of the procedure quiet. It only explained that it prescribed propofol for sedative anesthesia only when the patient complained of pain."

An official from the hospital said, "You received care. We only sleep during painful procedures, so it is not a problem."

In 2021 alone, Yoo Ah-in was prescribed propofol 73 times, amounting to 4,497 mL, at hospitals in Seoul alone. The police suspect that Yoo Ah-in was administered propofol after requesting anesthesia to exaggerate the pain even for simple procedures.

It was even confirmed that medical staff were concerned about the frequent administration of propofol in several hospitals. The hospital director is known to have sent a warning message to Yoo Ah-in, saying, "You should not use anesthesia too much," and "You should not move from hospital to hospital."

An official from Yoo Ah-in's side explained, "I understand that Yoo Ah-in, who suffered from a skin disease, has a phobia of needles and requested anesthesia."

But propofol was not the only problem. As a result of the National Forensic Service hair test, the previously confirmed propofol, marijuana, and cocaine ketamine were detected, confirming the use of four types of narcotics. Cocaine is highly addictive and hallucinogenic, so it is called one of the three major drugs along with methamphetamine and heroin.

Yoo Ah-in's side did not provide any explanation regarding cocaine, but explained, "In the case of ketamine, it is for medical use as an anesthetic for sleep." The police are checking with hospitals visited by Yoo Ah-in to determine the reason for prescribing ketamine. We are investigating specific drug purchase and administration routes, including analyzing 460,000 text messages over 8 years obtained from Yoo Ah-in's cell phone.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr