K-pop singer-actor Park Yoo-chun was arrested Friday (early Saturday) on suspicion of purchasing and using methamphetamine.
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(Yonhap) |
Park, 33, is suspected of buying 1.5 grams of methamphetamine on three occasions and taking it on five occasions earlier this year with his former fiancee, Hwang Ha-na.
Hwang, 31, is the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products.
Park, a member of the K-pop band JYJ, appeared before the Suwon District Court at around 1:50 p.m. on Friday to attend the hearing. He wore a gray suit and had dyed his hair again, brown this time. He did not answer a barrage of questions from reporters at the scene.
Park has denied the accusations, though the National Forensic Service conducted a drug test on a hair sample from his leg and the results came back positive.
“The result is an undeniable fact, but our stance that Park did not use the illegal drugs remains unchanged,” his lawyer said after the test results were announced. “We are trying to figure out how the meth was detected in his body.”
He even called a press conference earlier this month to deny the allegations.
Park is also suspected of attempting to destroy evidence by dyeing and shaving much of the hair from his body before undergoing the drug test.
Police expanded their probe to include Park after Hwang allegedly told police that Park had lured her into taking illegal drugs with him. Hwang was arrested in early April on charges of buying and using methamphetamine in 2015.
Police obtained security video footage showing Park picking something up about 20-30 minutes after wiring money to a bank account via an ATM in Seoul. Police suspect it was a package of illegal drugs.
Park said he had wired the money at Hwang’s request and did not know about any drug deal.
His management agency, C-JeS, expelled him from the agency and terminated his contract Wednesday, after the drug test results were announced.
The three-member JYJ is expected to disband.
(
laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
