Actor Joo Gets Suspended Jail Term for Drug Use

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Actor Joo Ji-hoon was given a suspended jail term and community service after he was convicted of illegal drug use.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 27-year-old Tuesday to a six-month prison term suspended for one year, 120 hours of community service and 360,000 won in fines.

Joo was indicted without physical detention last month for taking ecstasy tablets and ketamine at model-turned-actor Ye Hak-yeong's home in Seoul in April last year.

"The drug use of a celebrity like Joo can exert an evil influence on society, because people, especially juveniles, can follow his behavior, and ecstasy and ketamine are relatively cheap and easy to obtain compared with other narcotics", the court said.

"However, we decided to give the suspended term because he took the drugs only on a couple of occasions, has no previous criminal record and is reflecting on his wrongdoing. We also took many petitions asking for a lenient punishment for him into consideration", it said.

The court handed down a three-year jail sentence to actress Yoon Seol-hee for smuggling 280 ecstasy tablets and 280 grams of ketamine from Japan and using the drugs with Joo and others.

Ye and another female model, identified as Jeon, were also indicted for taking the drugs and each given 30-month jail terms suspended for four years, two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

After making his debut as a model, Joo starred in the dramas "Princess Hours" and "Devil", and movies "Antique" and "The Naked Kitchen".