Ex-TVXQ member Park may have suffered addict's meth 'bug'

Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun is escorted into the Gyeonggi Police Precinct for questioning on April 30. Korea Times

By Oh Young-jin

There is speculation that singer-actor Park Yoo-chun is not just a recreational user of crystal meth but an addict.

According to reports, pictures of the former member of the best-selling band TVXQ, ― taken in 2017 ― appeared in some online communities showing deep scratches and scabs on his arms and legs.

Park then explained that the injuries were the result of a weakened immune system caused by stress. But some netizens suspect they were caused by picking and scratching that is typical of meth addicts who are troubled by hallucinatory meth “bugs,” feeling crawling sensations on their skin as part of withdrawal effects.

Park publicly denied recently that he had never used drugs but made a confession after he tested positive.

Gyeonggi police said when it sought an arrest warrant for him April 23 that Park had purchased 1.5 grams of methamphetamine on three occasions with his ex-girlfriend, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, in February and March, and used it five times.

He has admitted to using the drug twice more, according to the police.

Park was quoted as saying, "I felt afraid to come clean," when talking about his lying in public.