Man Receives Prison Sentence After Selling Anesthetic To Wheesung

The man who sold several bottles of a general anesthetic to singer Wheesung has been sentenced to prison.

On July 1, it was reported that judge Park Jung Gil of the Seoul Eastern District Court gave a prison sentence on June 24 to a man referred to as “Nam” for charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. A man referred to as “Park” also received a sentence of two years in prison and was fined 5 million won (approximately $4,200) for the same charge, after having sold the drug to Nam.

According to the Maeil Business Newspaper, Nam met Wheesung three times starting on March 31 of this year and sold him 26 bottles of the general anesthetic Etomidate for 6.3 million won (approximately $5,200).

The anesthetic is known for causing similar effects as Propofol and is used for procedures such as endoscopies and surgeries. Unlike Propofol, Etomidate is not classified as an illegal drug in Korea because it causes only slight hallucinations or dependency. For this reason, when someone takes Etomidate without a prescription, only the seller is penalized and not the buyer.

Nam’s source for the Etomidate was Park. He gave 6 million won (approximately $5,000) to Park on March 27 for 50 bottles of Etomidate that Park had produced himself. Park acquired the supplies he needed to create the Etomidate through acquaintances who work at a pharmacy and then produced 85 bottles of the drug.

On March 31, Wheesung was found passed out in the bathroom of a building after taking Etomidate. Two days later, he was discovered unconscious in the bathroom of another building after taking the drug.

Because Etomidate isn’t illegal to take, Wheesung was not booked by the police and was sent home, while Nam was arrested in April. Meanwhile, Wheesung was forwarded to the prosecution in April over suspicions of repeated Propofol use.

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