“Drug charges” Yoo Ah In, police apply for arrest warrant today (May 19th)…”Denial of charges + concern about destroying evidence”
The police reportedly decided to apply for an arrest warrant for actor Yoo Ah In (real name Uhm Hong Sik, 37), who is suspected of using drugs, on May 19th.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Drug Crime Investigation Unit is reportedly planning to apply for an arrest warrant on the same day, believing that Yoo Ah In, who is suspected of using drugs, denies the charges and that there is a risk of destroying evidence.
Yoo Ah In, who is suspected of taking 5 types of drugs, including propofol, cocaine, marijuana, ketamine and zolpidem, is known to have denied the charges of taking the remaining 4 types of drugs except for marijuana during the second police summons on May 16th. He is said to have partially admitted about marijuana, saying, “My acquaintance handed it over to me and I smoked it.”
Yoo Ah In delayed the investigation once during the first investigation in March, saying, “I requested a private summons, but the schedule was revealed.” He was scheduled to be investigated for the second time on May 11th, but he suddenly returned home because there were many reporters.
Law firm Infinity, Yoo Ah In’s legal representative, said on May 11th, “We requested a private summons based on the Rules on Public Information of Police Investigation Cases, and the police agreed. However, on May 10th, the day before the investigation, there was a report to the effect that ‘Yoo Ah In is expected to be investigated by the police the next day’. We asked the police whether the attendance schedule was disclosed, but the police expressed their position, ‘We have never disclosed the attendance date. We plan to proceed privately according to the principle, so please attend as it is.’ Yoo Ah In tried to attend as scheduled, believing that the principle of non-disclosure would be applied as confirmed by the police, but it was clear that the attendance schedule was made public. Even though the attendance schedule was already revealed, Yoo Ah In wanted to participate in the investigation and asked the police to take possible measures, such as entering and exiting through a different route in accordance with the principle of private summons, but it was not accepted.”
Yoo Ah In responded to the police summons on May 16th when Woo Jong Soo, chief of the National Office of Investigation, hinted at the possibility of reviewing an arrest warrant if he did not respond to the summons on May 15th.
Yoo Ah In came out of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Drug Crime Investigation Unit at around 6:27 AM on May 17th after completing the second investigation in about 21 hours. To the reporters’ questions, he replied, “I said everything I could. I’m sorry for causing concern.”
The legal community predicted the possibility of Yoo Ah In’s probation. Lawyer Son Soo Ho of the law firm “Jihyuck” said in an interview with My Daily on May 17th, “If everything that has been reported through the media is true, even if Yoo Ah In is a first-time offender, he can’t escape punishment.“
Lawyer Son continued, “However, if he has no previous criminal record of the same kind, and if he sincerely reflects on himself and actively cooperates with the investigation, there’s a very high possibility of probation even if he is sentenced to imprisonment.”
Lawyer Son explained, “There may be parts in which the investigative agency doubts but can’t indict due to lack of evidence, and on the contrary, new details that haven’t been known so far may be added. The statement of people who sold, provided or took drugs together with Yoo Ah In is important. In this case, of course, it’ll affect the sentencing.”
However, as Yoo Ah In denied the charges, the police eventually pulled out a card applying for an arrest warrant.
Attention is focused on whether the court will issue an arrest warrant for Yoo Ah In.
Source: Daum
