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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Korean actor Lee Sang-bo denies illegal drug use; says medicine for depression 

Korean actor Lee Sang-bo denies illegal drug use; says medicine for depression 

Published Sep 14, 2022 02:57 pm

Korean actor Lee Sang-bo vehemently denied that he used illegal drugs, saying the medicine he was taking was for his depression and anxiety.

Lee Sang-bo was arrested by the police on Sept. 10 after CCTV footage showed him staggering while walking in Gangnam, Seoul. A netizen called the police, who arrested the actor and released him afterwards.

Lee Sang-bo during the press conference for "Miss Monte-Cristo" (left) and when he was arrested (right) on Sept. 10 (KBS 2, screenshot from SBS News video)

The actor appeared in the film “Secretly Greatly” and starred in the drama “Miss Monte-Cristo.”

In an interview with Korean media outlet YTN, Lee Sang-bo refuted the accusations.

“I've never used drugs, I've never seen drugs, and I've never been associated with a person who used drugs.I've never done drugs. What I'm taking right now is a tranquilizer,” he said.

He said he started his treatment for depression after his father died in 2009. Another tragedy happened when his mother and older sisters died in an accident.

Since 2019, he said, his depression and anxiety have worsened that he took more medications.

Korean media reported last Sept. 10 that Lee Sang-boo tested positive for drug use in a reagent test, which is used to identify substances in a drug.

According to the actor, his test was positive because of the small amounts of narcotic components in the antidepressant drug he was taking.

Based on the medical certificate from a hospital that he showed, it was indicated that he increased his intake of antidepressants and tranquilizers, the YTN report added.

His doctor explained that “psychotropic drugs are narcotics, so they are narcotics, but they are not narcotic amphetamine, heroin or cannabis.”

The Korean police are conducting ingredient tests on the drugs obtained from Lee Sang-bo’s home, and are waiting for the results by requesting a detailed analysis of the drug ingredients from his body.

“People sometimes go crazy about lies, not about the truth, but about the lies. I don't know how long my life will last, but I'm going to fight for my name to the end,” the actor said.

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