Psy Summarily Indicted for Medical Act Violation over Third-Party Collection of Sleeping Pills

Prescriptions and Collection by Proxy from 2022 to Last Year
Four Medical Staff and a Manager Received Suspension of Indictment

Singer Psy (real name Park Jaesang) has been summarily indicted on charges of obtaining prescriptions for psychotropic drugs and having his manager and others collect them on his behalf.

Singer Psy. Provided by P Nation.

According to legal sources on the 26th, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office summarily indicted Psy and Professor A from a university hospital in Seoul on July 22 for violations of the Medical Service Act. A summary indictment is a process in which prosecutors request the court to impose a fine or penalty through written proceedings instead of a formal trial. The exact amount requested from Psy and the hospital professor has not been disclosed. Four others, including medical staff and a manager, were referred to the prosecution alongside Psy but reportedly received a suspension of indictment.

Psy is accused of receiving prescriptions for psychotropic drugs – including medications used as sleeping aids – from a university hospital in Seoul between 2022 and last year, without an in-person examination, and having third parties such as his manager collect the drugs on his behalf.

The current Medical Service Act stipulates that only professors who have personally examined a patient can issue a prescription, and only patients who have undergone a direct examination can collect the prescription. Violating these provisions can result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won under the Act. Although exceptions exist for cases where the patient is unconscious or has severe mobility issues, Psy does not fall under these exceptions.

Additionally, it is known that Xanax and Stilnox are psychotropic drugs used for sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and depression, and, due to their potential for misuse, in-person consultations and prescriptions are required as a principle. Receiving prescriptions for such medications without an in-person examination is a violation of Article 33 of the Medical Service Act, which stipulates that face-to-face consultations are the norm, and may result in a fine of up to 5 million won.

The police conducted a search and seizure of the hospital, securing medical records. In police questioning, the university hospital professor reportedly denied the charges, claiming the consultations were conducted remotely.

Psy’s agency stated at the time, “Having a third party collect a prescription-only sleeping pill was clearly a mistake and an oversight,” and added, “Psy was diagnosed with chronic sleep disorders. He took medication as prescribed under the supervision of medical staff, and there was no substitute prescription.” They continued, “However, there were cases in which a third party collected sleeping pills on his behalf during the process.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.