Police investigating Samsung heiress' alleged use of propofol

Lee Boo-jin, a daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee and the head of Hotel Shilla, leaves the hotel in central Seoul after participating in it's regular general meeting of shareholders, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

Police are looking into suspicions that Lee Boo-jin, a daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee and the head of Hotel Shilla, regularly abused propofol, a controlled substance used as a sleep inducer for surgery and other medical procedures.

Officials at Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul, Thursday, visited the plastic surgery hospital where Lee allegedly received propofol, to check the facts regarding the allegations, together with officials from the regional public health center.

The move follows a media report the previous day, which raised the allegations based on testimony from a former staff member at the hospital.

“We are conducting an investigation of the hospital regarding its propofol management,” a police officer said. “Following the results, we will decided whether to question Lee or not.”

According to the report by Newstapa, Lee was regularly given propofol at the hospital from January to October 2016 while the witness worked there. The former employee said Lee received the substance in a VIP room at least twice a month.

She said that one day in September 2016 when all other employees left in the evening and she was left alone, Lee asked her to inject some more of the drug, so she called the doctor to receive permission but the doctor said no.

She added the hospital did not record the administration of propofol to Lee, and simultaneously fabricated records of administration of the drug to other patients.

The doctor refused to comment about the allegations to the media.

Lee and Hotel Shilla denied the allegations.

“I went to the hospital to treat a scar developed from surgery stitches on my left leg when I suffered a burn in 2016. I also received treatment for my drooping eyelids there but I have never used propofol illegally,” Lee said in a statement release before the regular general meeting of shareholders for Hotel Shilla, Thursday.