Ex-Nursing Assistant Who Supplied Drugs to Porsche Driver Arrested

A former nursing assistant accused of providing narcotics to a Porsche driver who crashed while intoxicated on Seoul's Banpo Bridge has been arrested.

The Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, identified only as "A," on January 10 following a pretrial detention hearing. Presiding Judge Kim Hyung-seok cited concerns over evidence tampering and flight risk.

A appeared at the courthouse wearing a black long padded coat, hoodie, and mask. When reporters asked if she was the suspect, she replied only "No." After the hearing, she left without answering questions about why she provided propofol, whether she had stolen drugs from her former workplace, whether she administered substances inside the Porsche, or whether she had used drugs together with the driver.

A is accused of supplying propofol and other psychotropic medications to driver "B," who caused an accident on Banpo Bridge in Seoul's Yongsan District on December 25. A reportedly sat in the passenger seat while B's vehicle was parked at a building in Seocho-dong. On January 2, A turned herself in at the Yongsan Police Station, admitting she had given drugs to B.

At approximately 8:44 p.m. on December 25, B lost control of his Porsche on Banpo Bridge, crashed onto a vehicle traveling on Gangbyeon Expressway below, and plunged further to Jamsu Bridge. Police reportedly discovered large quantities of propofol, sedatives, anesthetics, and disposable syringes in his vehicle. B, known as a social media influencer, was sent to prosecutors on January 6 on charges of dangerous driving causing injury and violating the Narcotics Control Act.

With A now in custody, police plan to focus their investigation on how drugs were illegally removed from the hospital. On January 9, investigators searched the hospital where A previously worked to trace the drug distribution route.

According to the National Police Agency, license revocations due to drug-impaired driving reached 237 cases last year, up 45.4% from 2024 and nearly triple the 80 cases recorded three years ago. Traffic accidents caused by drug-impaired driving also surged from 24 in 2023 to 75 last year, with fatalities rising from 19 to 46 during the same period.