‘Excessive’ questioning by S. Korean police over celebrities’ alleged drug use comes under fire

SEOUL – Controversy is brewing over the police’s excessive investigation of celebrities following the sudden death of actor Lee Sun-kyun. Lee was found dead in an apparent suicide on Dec 27, days after police questioning amid suspicions of illegal drug use.

According to the police, the alleged case of illegal drug use against Lee was first made public on Oct 19 through a report by the local media. It was when the case was still in the confidential initial stage of investigation.

But the leakage of information on the investigation caused irreversible damage to the world-renowned actor’s reputation.

“It is not common to see the names of those under investigation revealed at such an early stage. When information in an investigation is exposed, the case will inevitably face difficulties getting resolved as the investigation’s strategy will also be exposed,” said a police official with experience in investigating drug abuse cases involving celebrities.

Lee’s attorney had said earlier that any further questioning should be conducted privately, as the actor felt “pressured” by having to show up in front of cameras for police summons.

The attorney said the police did not accept Lee’s request to privately conduct a police summons.

Also, summons of celebrities solely based on the statement of one individual came under fire.

Investigations into Lee had been kicked off by police based on the statement of a host in her 20s employed at a high-end bar in Seoul who had a record of six convictions, including illegal drug use.

Her comments also led to police summoning and booking singer G-Dragon in November on charges of allegedly violating the Narcotics Control Act.

The investigation into G-Dragon abruptly wrapped up earlier in December after he tested negative in comprehensive analyses of his hair, toenail and fingernail samples through a rapid reagent drug test on Nov 6.

The police claimed they had also been planning to end the investigation into Lee with no arraignment. Lee had also tested negative in both comprehensive analyses of his hair samples and a rapid reagent drug test.