A Seoul court is set to decide whether to issue a warrant to arrest actor Yoo Ah-in on charges of habitual illegal drug use, nearly four months after the first warrant was dismissed.
The 37-year-old actor is accused of getting injections of propofol or other medical-purpose drugs on about 200 occasions at clinics across Seoul since 2020 under the pretext of going under cosmetic procedures. The total value of the injections he received is worth about 500 million won (US$377,500), according to prosecutors.
Yoo, whose legal name is Uhm Hong-sik, also allegedly used other people's names to illegally purchase some 1,000 sleeping pills, and used cocaine, marijuana and other drugs together with four others while staying in the United States in January.
"I apologize again for troubling you," Yoo said before entering the court, adding, "I will respond diligently before the court today and plainly answer everything I can."
He shook his head when asked by reporters if he concedes to the additional charges filed by prosecutors but remained silent.
It marks the second time an arrest warrant has been sought for Yoo since the court rejected the first warrant request in May.
On Monday, prosecutors filed the warrant for Yoo's arrest with additional charges of attempting to have evidence destroyed and coercing people to smoke marijuana.
The Seoul Central District Court is expected to make the decision on the actor, along with his acquaintance, identified only as Choi, by late Thursday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency