On February 18, in the appeal hearing of Yoo Ah In's violation of the Drug Control Act, the actor's sentence was reduced from prison to suspended imprisonment and released after 5 months of detention.
Specifically, the Seoul High Criminal Court No. 5 sentenced Yoo Ah In to 2 years of probation (suspended) and fined him 2 million won.
Previously, in a court of first instance in September 2024, Yoo Ah In was sentenced to 1 year in prison, fined 2 million won, and had to complete 80 hours of drug rehabilitation education, and pay an additional fine of 1.54 million won. At that time, the actor was arrested immediately after the verdict.
The allegations against Yoo Ah In include 181 uses of banned substances (such as Propofol, Midazolam, Ketamine and Remimazolam) from September 2020 to March 2022. He was also accused of illegally buying more than 1,100 sleeping pills under the names of others 44 times, from May 2021 to August 2023. In addition, the actor was accused of smoking marijuana in the US and inciting others to participate.
Both Yoo Ah In and the prosecution appealed the first-instance ruling. The prosecution asked the court to sentence Yoo Ah In to 4 years in prison, but the high court did not accept it.
The appellate court determined that Yoo Ah In was guilty of smoking marijuana, regular use of prescription drugs, and purchase of sleeping pills under another person's name - upholding the first instance court's verdict. However, the court declared the actor innocent of the charges of inciting smoking and destroying evidence.
The court gave the reason for the actor's sentence reduction: "Yoo Ah In suffered from sleep disorders and depression for a long time. The use of drugs containing banned substances seems to be for the purpose of treating sleep.
Currently, Yoo Ah In does not show any signs of dependence on drugs. He pledged not to re-offend and was held for five months to reflect on his actions. He also had no previous punishment for similar crimes.
After receiving a suspended sentence, Yoo Ah In has not made an official statement regarding his return to artistic activities.
But a day earlier, distributor BY4M Studio announced that the movie "The Match" starring Lee Byung Hun and Yoo Ah In will be released on March 26.
The film has been filmed since 2021, scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2023, but the release date has been postponed indefinitely due to drug allegations of the male lead Yoo Ah In.
Entertainment industry insiders say Yoo Ah In can continue his acting career seriously after being released by the court's ruling. "The Match" box office revenue is expected to be an important measure of his comeback.
Yoo Ah In was born in 1986 and is a famous Korean actor.
Yoo Ah In made his name with a series of outstanding films and television works such as The Throne, Veteran, Sado, Alive, Voice of Silence, burning, Love Story in Sungkyunkwan, Jang Oks Love Story...
