YouTuber Ipjjalbeun Haetnim, whose real name is Kim Mi-kyung, has been accused of receiving illegal medical treatments from a woman known as comedian Park Na-rae's "injection aunt."
Dispatch reported Sunday that Ipjjalbeun Haetnim was found to have received drugs illegally and undergone IV drip treatments. In messages sent to Park Na-rae, the woman identified as Ms. A emphasized the effectiveness of diet pills, saying, "Haetnim takes them three times. On days when she eats heavily, she takes them four times. Haetnim sometimes dreams of going back to 99 kilograms. Maintaining 60 kilograms while eating like that is also effort."
According to the disclosed conversations, Ipjjalbeun Haetnim appears to have served as a delivery route for Ms. A's medications. When Ms. A entrusted medications to Ipjjalbeun Haetnim, her manager would pass them to Park Na-rae's manager. Ms. A told Park Na-rae's manager, "I'll have Haetnim pass it on during the 'Amazing Saturday' filming on Friday." The medications reportedly contained psychotropic substances.
Allegations also emerged that Ipjjalbeun Haetnim used a high-frequency stimulation device, the same one Park Na-rae used, at an officetel in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Under the Medical Service Act, such medical devices must be used only by medical professionals within authorized medical facilities, making their use in an officetel illegal. Conversations between Ms. A and Park Na-rae's manager also mentioned Ipjjalbeun Haetnim's IV drip schedule.
Ipjjalbeun Haetnim's side denied the allegations, stating, "She did receive anti-swelling medication at the hospital where Ms. A worked, but she has nothing to do with diet pills and IV drips."
Ipjjalbeun Haetnim debuted on AfreecaTV in 2015 and is now a mukbang creator with 1.76 million subscribers. Park Na-rae, SHINee member Key, and Ipjjalbeun Haetnim have been regular cast members on tvN's "Amazing Saturday" for an extended period.
Ms. A reportedly does not have a medical license and has been working as a plastic surgery broker. Former Korean Medical Association President Lim Hyun-taek filed a complaint with prosecutors against Park Na-rae and Ms. A. The Doctors for a Fair Society stated on January 7 that "Pogang Medical School is a nonexistent phantom medical school." The Korean Medical Association also said on January 8, "This is a clear case of illegal unlicensed medical practice violating Article 27 of the Medical Service Act," adding, "There are indications that clonazepam, a psychotropic medication prohibited for proxy or non-face-to-face prescriptions, and trazodone, a prescription drug, were used. A thorough investigation and punishment must follow."
