Police launch criminal probe into plastic surgeon for Hotel Shilla CEO's propofol use

By Lim Chang-won Posted : March 25, 2019, 12:59 Updated : March 25, 2019, 12:59

[Yonhap News Photo]


SEOUL -- The head of a plastic surgery clinic involved in the suspected regular use of propofol, a powerful anesthetic, by Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin was booked for violation of medical law for an investigation.

Police said that Mr. Yoo, who runs his clinic in Chungdam-dong in southern Seoul, has rejected a request to submit medical data about Lee's propofol use. He will stand trial without being detained.

In a two-day search that began on March 23, police seized medical records and a narcotics control book while retrieving data on the clinic's business computer through a digital forensic examination. Police also interrogated the clinic's former nursing assistant identified her surname Kim, who blew the whistle.

Based on an interview with Kim, who had worked at the clinic between January and October of 2016, Newstapa, an independent news outlet, has reported that Lee had regularly been administered propofol. Police have launched a preliminary investigation, which is used when the offense of crime is not clear, on the basis of formal complaints as well as media reports and rumors.

Propofol, nicknamed the "milk of anesthesia," is not the kind of drug, but some people use it as a powerful sleep aid, like Michael Jackson, the "king of pop," who was found to have died after he was given a large dose of propofol in 2009.
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