Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Police looking into allegations of Samsung scion's propofol abuse
Lee Boo-jin, Hotel Shilla CEO and daughter of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Police said Thursday they are looking into allegations that Lee Boo-jin, Hotel Shilla CEO and daughter of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, habitually took propofol, a powerful anesthetic drug, at a cosmetic clinic in Seoul.
According to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, police and health authorities will inspect the clinic in southern Seoul Friday to find out whether Lee, 48, illegally received injections of the drug there.
The move comes a day after local media outlet Newtapa reported an interview with the hospital's former medical official, who claimed that Lee took propofol at least twice a month between January and October 2016.
Propofol is a sedative used to start and maintain general anesthesia. In Korea, it was classified as a psychoactive drug in 2011 and it is illegal to use it other than for certain medical purposes.
As a precaution against possible side effects, particularly the stopping of breathing, a doctor or a nurse watched Lee taking the drug for hours in a VIP room and did not leave her alone, the whistleblower claimed.
Lee admitted visiting the clinic several times for scar treatment that year, but denied the allegations of drug abuse.
A day after the issue came into the media spotlight, Lee, as scheduled, appeared at a general meeting of Hotel Shilla shareholders at the hotel in central Seoul.
The rock-faced Lee did not respond to reporters' questions about the allegations, and after the 20-minute meeting, she left the building immediately.
The whistleblower claimed there were no surveillance cameras at the clinic, parking lot, or the elevator in the building. She also accused clinic officials of leaving no paper record about Lee's use of propofol.