K-pop star arrested on drug charges in latest scandal
SEOUL: K-pop and drama star Park Yu-chun was arrested on Friday on charges of buying and using illegal drugs, a court said, the latest in a series of scandals to hit the South Korean entertainment business.
Suwon District Court approved the arrest warrant for Park, 32, due to concerns over possible destruction of evidence and flight risk, a court spokesman told Reuters.
Park is suspected of having bought about 1.5 grams of methamphetamine with his former girlfriend earlier this year and using the drug around five times, an official at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said.
Park has denied wrongdoing, saying he had never taken drugs, and he again denied the charges in court, Yonhap news agency said.
Park’s contract with his management agency had been cancelled and he would leave the entertainment industry, Park’s management agency, C-JeS Entertainment, said on Wednesday.
Park was a member of boyband TVXQ between 2003 and 2009 before leaving the group with two other members, forming the group JYJ.
The three-member JYJ is expected to disband.
A scandal involving sex tapes, prostitutes and secret chat about rape led at least four other K-pop stars to quit the industry earlier this year.
The cases sparked a nationwide drugs bust and investigations into tax evasion and police collusion at night clubs and other nightlife spots. Meanwhile, Chinese fans support for Park have sparked an online backlash.
Ahead of the hearing, the 6002 Simple S&P Fans Club, a group formed by Park’s Chinese fans, posted a statement on its Twitter account, saying, “Our love for him will not shake … we only believe in Park’s own words.”
It said the fans refused to accept Park’s trial by the media.
On the club’s site on Weibo, China’s microblogging service, photos of Park were posted to show support.
But the fans’ actions were not well received by other Chinese social media users, with many saying their values were distorted.
“You don’t believe in police investigations, but would rather believe a drug addict’s words? Do you have any idea how many anti-narcotics police sacrifice themselves?” one wrote on Weibo.
Another said: “They are embarrassing themselves in front of the whole world.”
In the past, several singers or actors caught in drug busts have been banned from appearing in shows on mainland China or performing there, at least temporarily. They include film star Jackie Chan’s son, Jaycee Chan, and Taiwanese actor Kai Ko, in 2014.