Police are expanding their investigation into the smuggling and use of drugs involving movie stars and models.
In the latest drug bust of entertainers, police booked popular film star Ju Ji-hun, 27, on suspicion of drug use and arrest warrants were sought for actress Yun Seol-hee, 28, and model Ye Hak-young, 26, for alleged smuggling ecstasy tablets and ketamine into the country from Japan. Two other residents were booked on similar suspicions.
``Besides the suspects on the list we have secured, there are likely more, given the amount of drugs smuggled. Further investigations are unavoidable,'' an officer of the Seoul Metropolitan Policy Agency said.
Police officiers said the entertainers appear to have been tempted to use drugs on assumption that that ecstasy and other drugs kill the appetite, helping them reduce their weight. Ecstasy is a mildly hallucinogenic amphetamine and the most popular illegal drug in Korea, while ketamine, also illegal here, is a veterinary medicine that has a strong hallucinatory effect on humans in dilute doses.
Experts said that more popular stars are blacklisted as suspects who used the drugs smuggled in by Yun.
The latest scandal is jolting the entertainment industry, already reeling following the suicide of actress Jang Ja-yeon, who left a note accusing media and entertainment firms' presidents of forcing her to have sex with them.
Ju is a hallyu (Korean wave) star in Japan and is now expected to lose opportunities to appear in Japanese media, let alone appearances on domestic TV programs or movies. He was scheduled to have a fan meeting in Tokyo next month.
Ju is a model-turned-actor who debuted in the 2006 drama ``Princess Hours,'' with the role of a crown prince of Korea. He recently starred in the movies ``Antique'' and ``The Naked Kitchen'' and the musical ``Don Juan.'' He was going to shoot the drama ``Tokyo Tower'' next month, but the role is going to be given to another actor.
Ju admitted to using drugs, saying he took them when he was drunk at a party at Ye's house, according to police. Since both Ju and Ye are models-turned-actors, the entertainment industry expects other colleagues to be implicated in the scandal.
Many fans are disappointed. ``I was surprised at the news of Ju's drug use. Drug scandals involving entertainers seem to never end,'' said Kim Dong-hyun, 28, a graduate student.
Many other entertainers have also been caught for drug use. Actress Hwang Su-jung was caught using philopon ― an amphetamine ― in November 2001. She was known for her elegant image, but an attempted comeback was unsuccessful even years after the scandal. Singer Psy, or Park Jae-sang, was caught in the same month for smoking marijuana. Actresses Sung Hyun-ah was caught for taking ecstasy in 2002; Kim Boo-seon for marijuana in 2004; and Ko Ho-kyeong for marijuana in 2006.
The drug busts of entertainers continued last year as well, including jazz vocalist Pak Sun-zoo and Steve Kim of hip hop group Uptown.
Some entertainers have campaigned for legalizing the use of drugs such as marijuana. Kim Boo-seon and singer Shin Hae-chul, both caught for drug use, have insisted that marijuana should be legalized in Korea.
However, the difference this time is that Yun and Ye smuggled the narcotics themselves ― police believe they did this to limit the possibility of exposure.
Some experts cited relatively light punishment on drug users as one of the key reasons behind the scandals. Some have successfully returned to the business years afterward.
Bae Kuk-nam, a culture critic, said, ``They can make a return after drug scandals but their wrongdoing is engraved in people's memories.''
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jimbo1a (220.119.4.116)
04-29-2009 17:13
Arse, instead of coming here and boring all of us with the same vitriol day after agonizing day, why not address your many emotional and mental problems. You cannot be a happy old man, not the way you throw around the word hate. Every one of your posts is full of hate, anger and bitterness. You are a ticking time bomb, which is why I will be talking to the parents of your students. We all want to see you get the help you need. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, why not take it?
jimbo1a (220.119.4.116)
04-29-2009 17:12
Arse, if you think that you are using America as an example instead of just spewing hate, then you have a lot to learn. Why not use Canada, England, Australia, etc., they all have people who post here. You are such an ignorant fool that you expect us all to swallow the crap you print here in your illiterate style. The only one who is fooled here is you. Everyone else has your number.
jimbo1a (220.119.4.116)
04-29-2009 17:12
Arse, I notice that you feel compelled to use the word hate in nearly all of your posts, which means that hate is the strongest emotion you feel. You have absolutely no evidence that me, Pastor Amerkrean, Matt, Donnie, etc. hate Korea. We all love it here or else we would go somewhere else. You, on the other hand, probably hate it here because you have no where else to go.
Amerkrean (203.247.44.118)
04-29-2009 16:49
I'm really curious, Arse. IF you don't hate America, just what are your feelings for it? Are you a closet lover of the US?
archaeologist17 (125.140.241.91)
04-29-2009 16:23
they are the ones who truly hate and ruin this forum.
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