Actor Yoo Ah In’s detention period has been extended as he faces a second trial for habitual drug use charges.
On October 18th KST, according to legal sources, the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 5 extended Yoo Ah In’s detention period by two months. This follows his conviction in the first trial on September 3rd, where he was sentenced to one year in prison for violating drug control laws and was taken into custody. Yoo Ah In has appealed the sentence, and under current laws, the detention period for a defendant without a finalized sentence is limited to two months. However, the court may extend the detention twice for up to two months each if deemed necessary.
With the extension, Yoo Ah In will remain detained during his appeal trial, with the first appeal hearing scheduled for the 29th. Yoo Ah In has prepared for his appeal by assembling a defense team from a law firm that includes a former chief judge and a former prosecutor specializing in drug cases.
Yoo Ah In was initially indicted last October for habitual propofol use, illegally obtaining sleeping pills under another person’s name, smoking marijuana, encouraging others to smoke marijuana, and attempting to destroy evidence.
Prosecutors allege that from September 2020 to March 2022, Yoo Ah In habitually administered propofol 181 times at various hospitals in Seoul and illegally obtained sleeping pills 44 times between May 2021 and August 2022 using another person’s identity.
At his first trial in December of last year, Yoo Ah In admitted to smoking marijuana but denied the charges of encouraging others to use marijuana, tampering with evidence, and violating the Narcotics Control Act. He also refuted the additional allegations of using other substances, calling them “exaggerated.”
The first court sentenced Yoo Ah In to one year in prison, imposed a 200,000 won fine, and ordered him to attend an 80-hour drug treatment program. While the court found him guilty of marijuana use, habitual administration of medical drugs, and obtaining drugs under another’s name, he was acquitted of charges related to possession of marijuana, encouraging its use, and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors, who initially sought a four-year sentence, appealed, arguing that the sentence was too lenient. Yoo Ah In also filed an appeal.
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