Actor Park Yoo Hwan was arrested for smoking marijuana. Marijuana is illegal in South Korea despite being legal in many other western countries. If a Korean citizen is caught either bringing in marijuana to South Korea or smoking it both in or outside of South Korea, they can be charged with a federal crime.
He was under suspicion of having gone to Thailand in December 2020 and smoking a round of weed with 2 other friends at a restaurant. A police investigation kicked off in November 2021. The police investigation had recently concluded, and Park Yoo Hwan admitted to all the charges leading to his arrest.
While one of his friends was also charged and arrested, the other friend is currently living in Thailand and is unable to return to South Korea due to COVID-19 restrictions. He will be investigated as soon as he is able to return.
While Park Yoo Hwan has starred in many dramas, such as She Was Pretty, I Need Romance 3, and 1000 Days Promise, he is also well known for being Park Yoochun‘s younger brother. Park Yoochun made his debut with TVXQ, left the group to form JYJ, and later on became notorious for multiple charges of illegal drug and marijuana use. The news of Park Yoo Hwan being charged for smoking marijuana stirred sarcastic commentary from the public about the brothers such as “like hyung, like dongsaeng” and “blood is thicker than water“.
