Singer Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, has been fined under a summary order for having his manager and others collect psychotropic drugs prescribed to him.
Judge Choi Ye-jin of the Seoul Western District Court issued a summary order fining Psy 5 million won for violating the Medical Service Act, legal sources said on the 21st.
Psy is accused of obtaining prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, including sleep aids, from a university hospital in Seoul without in-person examinations between 2022 and last year, and of having third parties such as his manager pick up the medication on his behalf.
Under the current Medical Service Act, only a doctor who has personally examined a patient may write a prescription, and prescriptions may not be collected by anyone other than the patient who was examined. Violations are punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
Psychotropic drugs in particular are subject to a principle of in-person examination and prescription because of the potential for misuse and abuse. Obtaining such drugs through a non-face-to-face prescription can constitute a violation of Article 33 of the Medical Service Act, which sets in-person treatment as the rule, and carries a fine of up to 5 million won.
Prosecutors on July 22 this year sought summary indictments of Psy and a professor identified as A at a university hospital in Seoul on charges of violating the Medical Service Act. A summary indictment is a procedure in which prosecutors ask the court to impose a fine or penalty based on a review of documents alone, rather than through a formal trial. Four others referred to prosecutors in the case, including another doctor and a manager, were granted suspended indictments.
