Singer Psy, 47, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, has been referred to prosecutors on charges of having his manager pick up psychotropic medications on his behalf.
Seoul Seodaemun Police Station said Thursday that it referred Psy, a professor at a Seoul university hospital, his manager and three others — six people in total — to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office on December 29 on charges of violating the Medical Service Act.
Psy is suspected of having been prescribed the psychotropic drugs Xanax and Stilnox at a general hospital in Seoul without face-to-face consultations from 2022 until recently, and of having his manager pick up the medications on his behalf.
Xanax is a medication used to treat anxiety disorders and alleviate related symptoms. Stilnox is mainly used for the short-term treatment of insomnia in adults. Both are psychotropic drugs that require a doctor's diagnosis and prescription.
Police previously secured the hospital's medical records through a search and seizure. The university hospital professor, identified only as A, reportedly denied the allegations during police questioning, claiming that the consultations had been conducted remotely.
Psy's agency P Nation said in an official statement Thursday that it "will actively cooperate with the prosecution's investigation going forward." The company had earlier bowed its head, stating that "having a manager pick up prescription sleeping pills was a clear error and oversight."
