“We are still with him”: Fans show unwavering support for Yoo Ah-in as he tested positive for the drug propofol

On February 24, South Korean media outlets reported that police have officially announced that actor Yoo Ah-in has tested positive for the use of the drug propofol.

The National Forensic Service has sent a report of Yoo Ah-in’s hair test to the police at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s unit set up for the drug investigation. As per reports, the actor's hair sample has tested positive for propofol.

A few days earlier, his urine samples showed positive results for marijuana, which is illegal in South Korea. As news of the actor's positive drug tests comes to light, fans are worried for his mental health. One fan tweeted:

“It will be controversial in Korea but let the rest of the world enjoy”: Fans want to watch Yoo Ah-in’s upcoming projects

In the midst of Yoo Ah-in's controversial use of propofol, Netflix issued an official statement regarding the actor's projects. The platform stated that they are in discussions with teams for the actor’s new projects. He will be seen in some upcoming Netflix projects, including the films The Match and Hi.5, and the series Goodbye Earth. He is also scheduled to shoot the second season of Hellbound later this year.

However, fans are of different opinions and think the contrary. They feel the actor needs medical treatment and his recent projects should be released as scheduled. As for the use of marijuana, many feel that even though it's not legal in South Korea, its usage is common in many western countries, and they see no harm in releasing his upcoming projects.

Propofol is a type of drug that results in low levels of consciousness and memory loss for certain events and is prohibited in South Korea for non-medicinal use. The side-effects include nausea, hypertension, coughing, severe pain at the injection site, and a tingling sensation.

Earlier on February 5, the actor was abruptly stopped by the South Korean police while coming from an overseas schedule. He underwent urine and hair tests on the same day and tested positive for marijuana. Later on, the National Forensic Service decided to conduct further tests and investigations into the actor’s habitual use of drugs.

According to South Korean media outlets, Yoo Ah-in has been on the radar of the police for some time now. The Chicago Typewriter actor was one of the 51 people who were being targeted for investigations for frequent drug use. Police are also investigating hospitals in Gangnam-gu and Yongsan-gu in Seoul.

It has also been reported that police have seized the actor's phone to investigate more about the duration, frequency, and amount of drugs he abused.

Yoo Ah-In’s agency’s statement regarding his drug use controversy

After Yoo Ah-in tested positive for propofol use, his agency, UAA, issued an official statement stating that they are fully cooperating with the investigation and intend to explain the specific issues in the future. The agency further stated that they would release an official statement regarding the ongoing controversy through their lawyer and asked for cooperation from the public.

It has been reported that the Hellbound actor has been banned from leaving the country. The actor has been removed from several advertising campaigns that he has endorsed in the past.

As per MBC News, Yoo Ah-in has also tested positive for a third drug, apart from marijuana and propofol. He will also be summoned by the police for further investigations.

About the author

Kirti holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism & Mass Communication and has been a Kpop writer at SK POP since 2022. She has been following Kpop and Kdramas since the last 6 years and but has worked in the genre only in the last 3-4 years donning several several caps - social media intern, copywriter, article writer and academic writer.

Kirti likes to pen down insightful features based on Korean dramas, especially the 'Ending Explained' categories. It gives her the satisfaction of creating the most authentic content rather than simply replicating what media outlets generally do.

Her process of creating content is time-consuming, yet methodical; she prefers to use original sources of information, which in her case are Korean outlets. She watches entire episodes, writes them down, cross-checks/fact-checks the details/event timelines off the web and eventually creates her copy.

Kirti likes Lee Je-hoon, IU, and Kim Seon-ho since she feels that their dramas are inspiring and have good plotlines. When she is not writing about K-dramas, she can be found watching them.

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