South Korean actor Park Yoo-chun arrested after testing positive for drug use and 'concerns of destroying evidence'
South Korean actor Park Yoo-chun was arrested on Friday after he tested positive for drugs by the National Forensic Services. The Suwon District Court issued the arrest warrant for the actor after the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency requested a pretrial detention warrant for the actor on April 23 based on the drug test results.
Traces of Philopon, a Japanese methamphetamine, was detected in the tests done on the actor's leg hair. The court hearing to determine the validity of the warrant took place on April 26 after which the actor was placed under arrest.
According to a report in Soompi, the Suwon District Court stated, "The necessity for [Park Yoochun’s] arrest and its significance are recognized as there are concerns of [Park Yoochun] destroying evidence or fleeing."
The actor is under suspicion of purchasing 1.5 grams of Philopon with his former girlfriend Hwang Ha Na three time between February and March and had supposedly taken it five times. The actor's first drug test done on a sample of urine returned negative and he claimed innocence in the matter by saying that the money he had transferred to the account of a supposed drug dealer was in Ha Na's stead. He had also denied knowledge that the transaction was for drugs.
Ha Na's connection to the Burning Sun Scandal surfaced in March and since then she has also been questionned by the police.
Reportedly, drug tests done on her had also turned positive, however, reports of the same did not surface in the Korean media.
In the meanwhile, Yoo-chun's agency upon hearing that the drug tests had turned out to be positive, canceled his contract.
In a statement, they had earlier released, C-Jes Entertainment stated, "Just as Park Yoo-chun stated during the press conference, he will be retiring from the industry. Further scheduled promotional activities will be canceled, and he will follow according to the Department of Justice’s decision. The agency deeply acknowledges the gravity and responsibility for the matter. We will do our best to go through reform and take strict measures to prevent such an incident from arising again."