Doctor who administered propofol to actor Yoo Ah In without medical records receives fine.

A doctor who administered the psychotropic drug propofol to actor Yoo Ah In without proper medical records has been fined.

On August 22 KST, Judge Kim Taek Hyung of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 9 sentenced Doctor A to a fine of 40 million KRW (approximately 30,000 USD) for violations of the Narcotics Control Act, among other charges. The doctor was prosecuted without detention.

The court stated, “As a doctor handling narcotics, A should have been aware of the seriousness of the misuse of psychotropic drugs, yet administered a high dose of propofol to Yoo Ah In without recording detailed information or creating medical records.”

The judge added, “A administered a high dose of propofol without writing detailed notes or medical records and even wrote a false prescription without directly examining the patient. The misuse of psychotropic drugs for profit reflects a poor level of ethical judgment.”

However, the court noted that “the defendant has sincerely reflected on their actions, has no prior criminal record, and received letters of petition from acquaintances,” explaining that a prison sentence was deemed too harsh, leading to the fine instead.

In January of this year, the prosecution brought charges against six doctors, including A, for overprescribing psychotropic drugs such as sedatives and propofol to Yoo Ah In. The other five doctors also received either fines or suspended prison sentences in their first trials and have since appealed.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ah In has been charged with habitual use of medical propofol under the pretense of sedation for cosmetic procedures 181 times between September 2020 and March 2022 at hospitals in the Seoul area. The prosecution has requested a four-year prison sentence, and Yoo Ah In’s first trial verdict is scheduled for September 3 KST.

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