@momo,

There is world of difference between cigs and alcohol and DRUGS. The latter is ILLEGAL. And because it is illegal, the user is a criminal (if convicted). Just because America has lost the drug war doesn't mean that other countries have to follow suit. I am glad that Asian countries strictly prosecute drug use. I am glad that there is social stigma.

FYI, drug money has been directly related to terrorism funding, sex trafficking, and child pornography. And yeah, I am talking about pot in addition to heroin, etc. People here saying "whatever" to drug use: study what revenue from poppy fields in Afghanistan or from cocoa in Columbia supports and see what a bored numbskull in no name suburbia of America is supporting.

Ji Hoon is an idiot for using. If he is also a pusher--lock him up.

@Belleza,
Considering the fact the rich (compared to the rest of the world) nations provide a vast majority of drug revenue, I think referring to user's elite status is perfectly legitimate. I am collectively referring to commenters here who are shrugging off drug use like it is no big deal. It is a big deal. Additionally, we are talking about an actor who is famous and in a privileged class acting like an idiot.

"Have you seen the actual stats on cocaine and heroin use in the States and other countries?"

What do you mean by have I actually seen stats? Why, do you have actual stats? Please share. While there is drug use in other countries, I don't see this kind of "Meh, everybody's using so whatever" attitude that I am responding to here. Drugs are bad news, and people who use them are rightfully stigmatized in other countries.

"Well now, you’re talking about cocaine and heroin"
I am talking about illegal drugs in general. Trafficking countries are not just trading in heroin and cocaine.

I am sick and tired of PRIVILEGED (compared to most of the world) first world kids presenting drug use as some kind of rite of passage, as a way of life, when in reality THEY ARE FUNDING horrific crime in the third world.

--
Anyway, I don't want to argue about this. I think that if 1% of the drug crime spilled over into America, every abercrombie&fitch recreational drug user in America would be in jail. We don't see ANY of the crime but only the high, so it is easy to call it a recreation.

Anyway, I'm out of the conversation.

the arrest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYiRHEe4C-k

they took extasy, ketamin, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91xEQoUUwRk

the police officer says that they found 3 packages of the drugs in the spectacle case (sunglasses).

Why am I not surprised? I'm not a fan of him but I really like his acting in Antique and enjoyed watching Antique very much. However there was one scene in Antique where I couldn't help but questioned "did he do drugs or something?". I don't know why but the question just popped in my mind.

Sad. Really. It's the end of his career unless he could make a great comeback in a film or something.

@Emma,

"im studying about drug in school i don’t think it’s anything good about drug ?maybe bcause of stress ????"

There's many different reasons, but the other thing is, each country has unique strata for "acceptable drug use." For example, alcohol is "illegal" in Iran and was illegal here during the 1920s. (Actually, Prohibition was starting to work when it was revoked.) Weed is legal in the Netherlands, which also leads the world in ecstasy production. Switzerland just set up a legal "medicinal heroin" program, though they haven't yet legalized marijuana use.

Recreational drug use is really, really low in South Korea. The attitudes toward drug use reflect that. In regards to attitudes toward alcohol, drinking is more casual in Asia in general. Plus, in terms of office culture and such, after-hours social drinking is part of that too. Now, personally, I would feel very uncomfortable about that. I don't like to drink with coworkers that much.

@Nom,

"While there is drug use in other countries, I don’t see this kind of “Meh, everybody’s using so whatever” attitude that I am responding to here."

Uhhh, the majority of Europe? The attitude here on Dramabeans is much more conservative than other sites I visit. I don't have a problem with it.

"Trafficking countries are not just trading in heroin and cocaine. "

Well if you mean Afghanistan and Colombia, you're talking heroin and cocaine respectively. Heroin funds the Taliban. Ketamine production is primarily from Asia, but in the States, most of it comes from illegal Mexico pharmaceuticals. If you mean marijuana, well its association with criminals is actually overstated. It's actually the drug war itself, funded by the Americans, that's causing most of the suffering. That is why many studies show that some form of decriminalization would be the most effective means of both controlling it as well as reducing crime.

"I think that if 1% of the drug crime spilled over into America, every abercrombie&fitch recreational drug user in America would be in jail."

It has, though. Come to South Central and see what crack did to the inner city. When I lived in the Tenderloin, I walked by prostitutes and drug dealers everyday, sometimes at 2am in the morning coming back from a club or gig. It is what it is, and it's a complicated, ambivalent story.

I resent when people do the "what's wrong with Korea" rant (especially when they don't see the uhhh blatant, brutal hypocrisy . . . ) But I also resent when people do the "what's wrong with America" rant.

"I think that if 1% of the drug crime spilled over into America, every abercrombie&fitch recreational drug user in America would be in jail. We don’t see ANY of the crime but only the high, so it is easy to call it a recreation."

I live in what is considered the heroin capital of the US and this level of stereotyping, assumption of global ignorance and some rosy lack of violence... kind of nutty.

Yup! No drug crime here. lol.

Anyway...
I feel really sad about JJH. Goong was my first Korean drama and he was my cell phone wall paper for quite awhile...

"I live in what is considered the heroin capital of the US and this level of stereotyping, assumption of global ignorance and some rosy lack of violence… kind of nutty."

Yup. I get that a lot of people don't live in the States, so they probably view us this way.

@mookie

the last thing i want to do is start some kind of hostile flame war on here but i have to say you should really do research before you make statements like the ones you did. ecstasy and ketamine are NOT chemically addictive, meaning that doing it will not create a dependence in your body. neither are marijuana or mushrooms or LSD. cocaine, heroin, alcohol, nicotine are a whole different story. and my take on those substances are entirely different. and yet nicotine is entirely legal and millions of Korea partake in it all the time. i don't buy the whole "if it's illegal it MUST be bad" bullshit. based on history, y'all should know the law is not exactly a reliable source on what is right or wrong. it wasn't long ago when black people were not allowed the same privileges under the eyes of the law in America. and it wasn't long ago when the law didn't even recognize women as people. so yeah, fuck the law. i'm not saying drugs are good. what i'm saying is this situation really isn't as black and white as some of you are making it out to be. yes, i think netizens are hypocritical when they're so quick to point the finger at someone for doing something like this. why? because many of them do things that are far worse than trying trying X once or twice. i'm sorry, i'd much rather know my friends did X at a club than know they drink and drive on a regular basis. but hey, that's ok because that kind of idiocy is more socially acceptable than smoking weed. it's completely illogical but what do i know.

@Nom Kitteh

i can sort of understand your argument that buying drugs and selling drugs is directly funding all kinds of human exploitation and shady shit. but using that same argument, i hope you're not a coffee drinker. or a lover of diamonds. what about most clothing brands? i hate to say this, but most products we use in our daily life in the first world exploits the third world in some way. i'm not saying it's ok but unless you're ready to stop using all of those products that exploit children and adults alike, don't accuse the drug industry of somehow being worse in their exploitation than perfectly LEGAL products that we use all the time. and as you can see, i really don't give a shit about the whole "but it's ILLEGAL" argument.

@momo,

Yeah, but I do see Nom's point about drug trafficking and its link to weapons, militias, and instability. That's a huge problem. Russia's heroin addiction is frightening.

"or a lover of diamonds."

Leonard DiCaprio was awesome in Blood Diamond, don't you think? ;)

WHAT? Noooooo
I loved him since Goong and I don't think I can quite believe his story. Such a shame, why did he have to do something stupid like that mann?

Some of you, who came from the country where using drugs is not a big deal, should try to read or learn same cases in Asian Countries (especially in Southeast Asia where I came from) which involving drugs. For years my government has been fighting drug traficking since my country is known as one of many country who always been used as a base of drug making. You can imagine how bad was the situation, since the police has to fight not just one or two drug dealer but the whole syndicate. So to handle the worse, goverment making a strick rule & giving heavy punisment. They not just punish the drug dealer but the user also. And the worse is that the drug dealer can be sentence to death. So many people have been gotten this treatment so far, including some foreigner. Even some celebs in my country have been sentence to jail just for using a little percentage of drugs (ecstasy, ketamine etc.). That's how strick the rule in my country. So using drugs is A BIG DEAL in my country. So does in Korea I think.
So, like what Belleza (and the others) has been said, this busted of Joo Ji Hoon could be the ending of his career (in my country he surely will be jailed). And for once I'm not exaggerate it ...

I have some random thoughts from looking at the comments, I think its way too assumptive to forgive or condemn him this early.

Firstly, how do we know that he only took drugs a couple of times? Maybe he is an addict or maybe he has only just "experimented". We can't say for sure yet.

Secondly, I don't really get how people can say he just "made a mistake". I think its only a mistake when the person in question actually thinks its a mistake. Does he regret taking drugs or just regrets get arrested. There is a difference between a mistake and a pattern of behaviour (if that makes sense).

Anyway, this is far too depressing. I'm firmly againest drug use but I also feel for the guy. I don't like any seeing anyones life get ruined but I also don't like to see people make excuses for bad behaviour.

Wow, heated discussions here ^^;;;

But doing drugs... that's just SO not cool! I'm rather disappointed in Joo Ji-hoon, I thought he was smarter than that. It's not just destructive healthwise, but also to that promising career of his. Why would he do something that he knows is wrong on several levels and could jeopardize his future in the process? There are other ways to relieve stress and such if that's the issue.

Being a celebrity in the entertainment world comes with a responsibility of some sort as such a person is looked up to by fans. I know he's only human and that we all make mistakes, but the personal image is part of the job and he needs to live up to that. Reputation in the entertainment world is everything. Maybe I'm just being too ideal here, but that's what I think. Besides, as I already said earlier drug is a danger to health so there is absolutely no good excuse to use it. Doesn't matter that he "only" did it twice, it's still twice too many. Also, why put yourself in a situation which can lead to an addiction and destroy you ultimately?

It's actually good that Joo Ji-hoon got busted so early (of course I'd have preferred that he didn't use drugs to begin with), this should give hime a wake-up call and drag him back to the right drug-free path.

I believe that Joo Ji-hoon will be able to bounce back from this mess, but it'll probably take time... Honestly, the drugs aren't worth all the setbacks he'll most likely have to face now.

I think there is much more deeper story about this. All I can say is that possibly due to stress of whatever JJH is not happy with how his life right now you know when depression strikes back it is really difficult to manage no matter what you are in the society ,if you are a celebrity or not.It depends in each individual how they can handle it.In his case he went the wrong side of the world by using drugs.In my country where I resides the government funded treatment and rehab with this people not only drugs same thing with alcohol abuse but sad to say they always come back still hooked on drugs.I felt that paying taxes each month for them is wasted but they are human being like us ,so need to help them.They need help and compassion physically,mentally,psychologially and emotionally but very difficult to deal with.It is much more peril or rather hard when family is not supporting them.

Sad news but I am not a fan of him but i've seen him in goong.My fav is YEH and KJH on that series.Hope it is not too late for him... he is only on his 20's. I think the world where he is now is too much for him to deal with ...celebrities,groups and peers a very huge influence on him and he is not able to say no with the bad influence ...just my guess...anyone can disagree...

This bit of news makes me sad. I hope JJH is given another chance.

I dont buy the story that he's only used drugs twice. I believe has done this many times before but may have only been caught using it in 2 occasions.
months after Goong he started looking weird . I have noticed the drastic change since I saw him at the Baeksang, that something just didn't seem right with him and espescially at the Prada event, I remember telling my friend that he looked stoned. Sadly, what we suspected turned out to be true. Now I know why he keeps on going to Japan.

I wish I can say that I feel sorry for him, but I would be lying if I say I did. Drug use and drunkdriving are probably one of those things that I cannot tolerate regardless of how much I love an actor/actress.

I doubt his career will be able to bounce back from this. he will at least have to disappear for 2 years, then he'll have to go do his military duty. if i was him now is the right time.

"I think there is much more deeper story about this."

Yeah. The real story is Yoon and Yeh (not YEH.) Here you have two people who work in the entertainment world who are actively smuggling drugs into the country. (Which sounds crazy, why would an actress be trafficking drugs herself?!?) Meaning, there's likely a clientele of entertainment people (presumably most are celebs) who are paying for this access. Meaning, there may be other celebs that we know (i.e. the Antique Bakery) that are on "The List"

@momo, you sure?! KETAMINE HAS NO ADDICTIVE POTENTIAL. < that is definitely a false statement.... come on, it's an analgesic and u get an out of body experience when u should be in PAIN + u get tolerance to it (ie needs higher and higher dose for same 'high)

Yes, if you r talking about some strict definition on a chemical/physiological level for X.... but dependency, addiction or abuse potential is not solely based on that alone, not in humans (or rats for that matter). Dependency is never solely physiological. I consider the cognitive and psych aspect as well. For my rationale, a substance that is illicit even in one country, there's enough abuse potential for ONE single law to be legitimately passed to control/regulate its use. Period.

For a drug blatantly doing stuff to your serotonin (*happy transmitter*) levels and u may feel quite depressed NOT taking the drug.. go figure. For the sake of argument, any drug that has CNS effects=begs for control and regulations. We're not down on the exact science of the brain, are we?! And illicit = no regulation = don't really know what (other) shxt's in it, true?! How about tolerance?! what if one no longer feel the 'high' fr X after a while, tempted much to try out more 'hardcore' stuff to chase the high, no?! considering the 'openness' to try out X in the first place out of curiosity/recreation.....

I adhere to legality of actions, it's not always fair but we live in societies with confines (ie laws) so deal with it. Nobody is saying everything else is dainty. I just have no tolerance for actions that you knew r against the law of where u r living. If you don't agree with S Korea's laws, don't live in S Korea. In my book, I have absolutely no tolerance in drunk driving, selling cigs to minors, recreational drug use, blood diamonds.... But we're going very off topic, r we?!

The drug war is esp problematic cause ppl really see it very shortsightedly just as u put it: a pill at a time or once/twice = no big deal. When a substance is doing stuff to your brain, considering even when taking an aspirin may work wonders for some and kill others allergic to it, it's a harrowing thought of an unknown. Do you have ANY idea of how many ppl try out a pill of X and 'graduated' to more devastating addictions?!

not starting anything, but please be a responsible poster. Kids do read posts on Dramabeans, a great blog.

@hazel_1282......sorry for your loss....*hugzzzz*
------------------
I'm extremely, extremely shocked by this news development.....My next worry is how big can this scandal? As for JJH, I think his career is finished.........Very sad to see another life destroyed by drugs........Korea seems to be a very conservative country, unlike the US where you can just do the lame "apology" routine, lie low for a while and then try to do a comeback..........

And for everyone out there, especially the kiddies, please say no to drugs, not yes! Drugs are bad......that's why they're illegal.......Just use your common sense!!!

*Still in shock over this news*

Society in Korea imposes so many restrictions on people (at least compared to my country), everything must be perfect, perfecter, the most perfect. I can understand while people need to wind down once in a while, and this is probably just possible by using some kind of articificial relaxant. Nowadays it is often drugs rather than alcohol.

When I read about the schedule of the BBF actors with an incredible amount of three (!!!) hours of sleep at night, I thought "Even if time is money during the peak of the BBF popularity, this is driving people to the ground." Without wanting to put out any rumors, drugs were the first thing on my mind. You simply can't shine, shine, shine, be creative and nice to everybody under this kind of pressure. All eyes are on you, every move will be reported on the internet, this sounds like prison to me. And even if you have one evening to yourself will you able to completely relax at once without any help? Some people might be able to do it, others might not. To make it clear once again: BBF is just an example which came immediately to my mind, this does not mean that I suspect that Lee Min Ho & colleagues are taking drugs.

The attitude of expectation seems to be nearly impossible to meet.

Just to make it clear: I have never taken drugs, don't smoke and apart from a bit of punch or wine now and then don't drink. And I will, personally, never be able to re-watch Goong with the same innocent, wholesome adoration as before.

Ouch that really really sucks..
I didn't know that the use of drugs was such a serious case in Korea, Ji Hoon is in a big big crap.
I hope he won't go to jail and that his career won't be ruined...
I really like this actor, and that won't change because he's a druggie.

Bottom line is that he got caught for making a stupid act. Since he's in a country that has strict laws against drug use, he has to make amends & abide by what would be decided as punishment for his actions (I'm sure he's so sorry for it now based on video snippets posted on YouTube).
Being a celebrity, most eyes would be on him & his every move (it has started already with a 100 plus rants/raves among one of the millions of blogs/articles about His news!)
If he was just an average working person elsewhere, it would not be this huge a deal...such a price for fame. I bet one of the hardest things he has to face now is himself - I hope he'll learn well from this & be able to go from here.

"When I read about the schedule of the BBF actors with an incredible amount of three (!!!) hours of sleep at night"

To be honest, you don't really think about doing drugs on 3 hours of sleep. You think about sleep. ;)

Lee Min Ho promoting Cass Beer is kinda . . . Could you imagine Zac Efron (same age) promoting Coors? Rocky Mountain Picture Show?

"And for everyone out there, especially the kiddies, please say no to drugs, not yes!"

Yup. Time for the obligatory letter from the adults:

KIDS,

Drugs have not only destroyed your sweet Prince, they have destroyed your Sweet Prince's mom and dad. Think about the last time you made your parents cry. His parents are going to cry over him for a long, long time because he thought he could avoid the consequences. They can do nothing for their child, who's thrown away a one-in-a-million career just so he can like dancing to trance.

You may think that you're just as smart as the adults and just as together as the adults. And you may be right. But, the drugs are smarter than the adults. And sometimes, the drugs are stronger than the adults. They're just strong enough to be your parent, and they're terrified of failing you. And that's why they're terrified of you taking drugs.

Oh and all the drinking you see in Korean dramas? That may look like fun, but remember -- they always THROW UP in the end! And throwing up is no good!! Hyun Bin is not going to carry you home. It's more likely that Hyun Bin's Hyung will carry you home, and he's not nearly as hot! Notice how you always laugh when the characters are drunk? That's because alcohol turns you into an IDIOT facing IDIOT situations. Trust me -- that first episode of Attic Cat doesn't turn out as happy as it looks.

Finally, if Belleza catches any of youz high off something illegal, Belleza will come over and make you watch the entire run of You Are My Destiny. You will cry. You will scream. You will feel violated. Much like I did. But you will know never to do drugs ever again. Remember kids, the only epic high is Epik High, and well enjoying that illegally can also ruin your life. Nothing is free. And you only can pay with your life once. Thank you and GO Lakers!!

Love (with protection!),
Belleza

@Belleza

"Hyun Bin is not going to carry you home. It’s more likely that Hyun Bin’s Hyung will carry you home, and he’s not nearly as hot!"

Very nice...I'm seeing a series of public service announcements against drinking featuring all my favorite Kdrama stars....

South Korea is so different from the USA. Celebrities TRY to cause scandals over here for the publicity, but in Korea their popularity FALLS when they are gossiped about...

Gosh, it's hard to believe drug use would actually end a career over there. Total opposite! Also kind of a shock, as I liked Joo Jihoon. Oh well.

^ Ditto. =p *snigger* Ah, jeez. Seriously, the world is sadly not populated by Hyunbins waiting to save you from yourself.

It's a world gone mad. MAD I TELL YOU!!!

Please don't be the Antiquers. Seriously, the mind boggles. No matter what the actor is like in reality or what he chooses to do, it's a shame to lose him on the acting screen, just when he was about to clearly hit it really big. =/

I've never done drugs or smoked or drunk alcohol... but it strikes me as really, REALLY easy to screw yourself over. Living is a hard thing.

Truly sad - his career will probably never recover. And he had so much to offer.

In Asia celebrities are held to an impossible standard - they have to be 'perfect'. No scandal. No personal life (eg publicised relationships). While this does not condone his actions - it probably goes to explain the pressures he was under.

It would be good if this situation had a positive - awareness that drug use DOES happen in Korea (as with all countries). To wake up from the denial that it 'does not happen 'here only elsewhere'. That help and/or rehabilitation be available for those who need it - for all members not just celebs and all drugs (inc alcohol).

Standards are to be set by the community - but it should not be hypocritcal and deny all responsible to help 'fix' it too.

BTW Is it the season for celebrity drug silliness? First Jill Vidal (HK busted for heroin use and posession in JP), SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (drunked nakedness) and now this?
Although have to say the worst of public comdemation seems to be the SMAP guy - of perhaps cause it was most recent. Ok he was drunk he was naked. He was humiliated. He did not do hard drugs or hurt others (aside from fellow SMAP and his mgt!) . Why the tidal wave of hate? It was so 'soft' in comparison but I think the SMAP guy is literally paying for it more.

Here is hoping that these sorry events allows for the communities at large to discuss the issue of drugs. Realistically. And the way that rehab can help.

@129 - its the chinese "cheng meng" month = the "ghost month" - heee ... does it explain the wierd things that has been going on? LOL

I've been reading this blog for a long time, and this would be my first comment. I've read all the previous posts and they allowed me to understand how people can have different stance on this particular issue, and now I'll state mine. When I was young, that would be in the mid 80's, there was a huge campain against drugs in my country (France). There were infos on tv, posters in the subway, information classes at school... Some could say children my age were too young to fully understand the issue (I was between 7 and 10 at that time) but , from my point of view, it has been on the whole very effective :I understood how drugs could affect not only my body, but also my mind, and my family. While laws in the different countries we all come from may be different in severity , one fact remain and, in my opinion(and sorry to state the obvious) , it cannot be discussed: drugs are really, really bad. I think it's no use arguing about it. Recreational use is something we all should be careful about because most of the time, that's how serious business starts: the best way is to never take the first step towards drugs if possible. I got some information about ecstasy and ketamine, and they are both extremely frightening drugs, how can you consider them casually? You can compare their use with alcohol or cigarettes, it doesn't make it any better. To come back to the matter at hand, my main word to express my feelings would be : waste. What a waste of talent, what a waste of youth. I don't know his reasons for doing it , and maybe we will never know, but I'm so sorry it will most probably put an end to his carreer. Was it worth it? Surely not. What I find sad is the fact that he will probably regret his mistake, but the society won't give him a second chance, since he will probably face serious charges. I don't condemn him personaly, everyone can make mistakes, but the way I see it, his career won't recover from this.

Wow Im surprised at how big a deal drugs is for Koreans, I didnt know that until know because they're so lax when it comes to cigarettes and alcohol so I just assumed drugs would be too.

But are drugs dealers always assumed to have got their supply from outside the country? Are there no drugs like weed actually grown inside Korea itself?

@mookie

i think this is an issue that i don't think we will ever agree on. just as you seem to believe many people who do E or K will automatically become dependent (chemically or emotionally), i know from experience that many many people do not. yes, drugs are extremely volatile. and a lot of people don't have the strength to monitor their usage and sometimes it turns bad. yet many people can and do monitor themselves enough that it's in moderation. so it really isn't as black and white as you put it. yes, South Korea has these laws and i agree JJH made a very bad decision considering he is a celebrity and in the public eye. what i'm saying is that i don't believe he should be made an example and criticized so harshly just because he tried E and K a couple of times (if that is true). and it does not make him a bad person just because he did. a stupid one, probably. but not a bad one. as some of the other posters have said, the expectation that celebrities in Korea be perfect is causing more harm than good. and unfortunately that is the state of things and JJH will no doubt be horribly punished. it's just sad. corrupt managers who force talents to perform sexual acts have gone unpunished for so long but this careless mistake will probably destroy his life. it's sad. when i first came to Korea, he was my first celebrity crush.

fyi, ketamine is in fact not chemically addictive. you can look that up if you like. in recent studies, scientists think it might be habitual but just based on the chemical make-up, it does not cause dependency. also, ketamine does not always cause an out of body experience. that only happens when you take an insane amount.

anyway, that's all i have to say about this now. please don't tell me what i can and can't post. i never condoned drug use in my post. i merely said that doing drugs does not make you a bad person. i don't see how that's irresponsible. if anything, i hope more kids learn to be less judgmental of others.

you've got to be kidding me... i JUST finished the naked kitchen and was thawing to what is joo ji hoon. but yupp, his career's dead. perhaps he'll be able to come around in about 10 years, but by then he'll be old... and he'll probably face jail time and then have to go to the army... this is just really sad.
i'm a 2nd generation korean-american, so i feel views on drug use in korea is a bit hypocritical, given the ubiquitous use of cigarettes and soju/beer/etc, which to me are still drugs and have harmful effects on the body. but i guess what's done is done, and his career is over.

... My mind is seriously reeling from the shock. *dies*

All I can say is... I'm freakin' scared to hear the list when the celeb names come out.

Dammit. He's one of the few actors I respect and love for their acting abilities!! (insert Devil here) This is going to kill his career, and it makes me sad because it was for purely recreational purposes.

@Belleza

Very well said!
As a new fan of K-dramas, I am annoyed to see the drinking scenes in most of the
K-dramas I've seen so far. Do you have to be drunk in order to solve or forget bad things that happen to you? This is a bad example for young audience when they watch the dramas. K-dramas are for families to watch after all!
Smoking is not a good thing to promote either. Everybody should know by now smoking is very bad to your health. I am not fond of seeing pictures of many of my favorite K-celebrities smoking either. There is nothing COOL about it and it does not do anything with manhood either! Period.
Back to JJH: This is a HUGE lesson for young celebrities. When you become famous and wealthy at such young age, you think you are invincible and could get away with a lot of things.

I hope JJH should straighten himself up after this mess and his career won't be ruined by this. He is still young. Some people need to learn their lesson a hard way, I guess.

I'm certainly not shocked at this news. I love Ji Hoon think he has great potential but he hasn't be cared for in this industry and it shows. Didn't he start out as a model or something?

Okay, here are a few things that I've noticed about popular Korean Actors/Actresses and the industry...they are way overworked, the entertainers seem to fit a very isolated life, some of it seems like abuse in how the industry deals with their needs and the actors/actresses aren't being nurtured the way that the Korean Society evaluates these situations when giving a Zero Tolerance Policy. (For example, what is Korea doing about the multi-billion dollar business where American actors and actresses do commercials and have their movies shown in the country but they are also well known drug abusers? Of course there is a double standard and major hypocrisy that is applied but why make your actors suffer for their mistakes when you can't apply those same standards to Western Culture? )

Back to these actors and actresses in this industry...I find it's a shame that there is so much pressure for this purity nonsense. I find it refreshing that Ji Hoon was actually using. Not that I'm happy about it but I like that he rebelled against the nature of the purity standard. I'm dead set against drugs of any kind but I find it unreasonable that when you have these young actor and actresses taking on so much fame and isolation...what else do we expect? It's like Korean actors are literally giving up their souls for the freedom of their art. I hope he can survive this because he has great potential and I'd hate to see him ruined over this scandal.

T^T JJH!!
i never wouldve thought... but i still love him

this is very disappointing but I'm glad that the drug trafficker was caught and Joo Ji Hoon admitted what he did. If he used it twice, I don't think its too late for him to be saved from potential addiction. The fact that he admitted it means he knows he has a problem and therefore, can still be cured.

Good luck to Joo Ji Hoon and to the other celebrities who were also victims of drug use.

I just feel sad reading this piece of news. A promising career over just like that - because he could not say no.

I agree with mumuchan that drug use is simply wrong - no buts about it - whether it is a big deal or not, socially acceptable or not, recreational or hard-core...it doesn't make a difference, it's wrong. I'm thankful that I've not been with company or in situations where I've been offered or tempted to take drugs. It would not have been easy to say no. Celebs are just not as lucky as mere mortals like me. As belleza noted, these celebs are under extraordinary stress from inhumane working hours, high expectations from agencies/managements, constant scrutiny, and not to mention, there's the ticking time bomb of instant and uncontrollable bad press thanks to the internet should they do something 'bad' like snub a fan/journo. Add to that, the murky perils of the entertainment world with many monsters lurking in high positions, the superficial world of the beautiful and glamorous with many sugar-coated temptations - it takes a really good head and strong heart to go through all that unscathed.

I'm from the US and have family in South America, so I don't think drug use should be shrugged off however, it's not fair to wish the drug users so much ill will.

I feel bad for the guy and agree he should be held accountable for his actions. And being a celebrity in a nation where drug use is a very serious offense, not to mention being a celebrity has so much added responsibility...he knew better and he shouldn't have done this.

Drug use isn't a smart choice but you really can't judge a person unless you've walked in their shoes. What I mean is...for one drugs like E are incredibly addictive. And as evidence by the suicides and accidents and hospitalizations of K-entertainers, the job is incredibly stressful. And finding a healthy and effective way of coping with stress can take people a very long time. In fact, mental stress in many asian cultures is mostly expressed in the body, as physical symptoms. So sometimes people are not even aware that they may have some psych issue they have to deal with, like some mild depression or something. Therefore it's not surprising that young people or people with high stress jobs or people with a lot of money who just don't want to be bothered with life, fall into the temptations of drugs. And depending on the individual, they can either walk away or continue with their use.

I hate drugs, I hate that they exist, I hate what it's done to Latin American countries and other drug producing countries in the world, I hate the crimes that come from producing/consuming drugs, I hate how they ruin lives, I hate how many people they hurt.

But I can't help but feel bad for someone when they made a dumb mistake and they're about to pay with A LOT of suffering. I think in the case of things like drugs, it's necessary but I can't really judge and refuse to kick someone when they're down. He did it, he deserves the consequences. So yeah, let him take the fall but don't beat him once he hits the ground. I pity him and though I've never been a big fan, I'll be praying for him.

After reading the posts here, i don't get why people are claiming hypocrisy in the way the government deals with alcohol / tobacco use versus illicit drug use. So what, they are supposed to accept it and just fine him for doing those drugs ? Apply the same penalty to people who overindulge in alcohol ? Is this the hypocrisy you're mentioning? There is a reason why drugs like E and K are illegal, and why people like JJH get so publicly criticised for doing something like this. I really don't feel sorry for him at all, he grew up in that type of "strict" society, he knew what the consequences would be and he still made that choice.

If you think S.korea is harsh, Singapore gave out the death penalty to an Australian who was caught passing through immigration with drugs in his luggage.

So in Korea drugs, porn and adultery is illegal.....Koreans really don't know how to have fun do they? Kidding.....KIDDING! Lighten up people.

In a way I kinda feel bad for JJH as he does seem to have a promising career ahead of him, but the reality is we shouldn't, as all that achieves is to promote others to do the same thing.

I won't get into the discussion here: I'm still trying to process the fact that JJH's career is pretty much over and that he may be facing jail time. Which brings me to my question: I have no idea how the Law system works in SK, but I was wondering, if he, indeed, goes to prison, how long are we talking about? Days? Weeks? Months? *Years*?!?

I. Am. Still. In. Shock. OMG!

...just when I thought that he was becoming a better actor, he gets caught for drug use. That's quite unfortunate...I hope this isn't the end of his career, though that may very well be the case...

82 Dahee Fanel

"What DOES make me mad about this news is that he’s pretty much ruined his career. This is Korea, not Hollywood, for eff’s sake, and he knows that. He grew so much as an actor in “The Devil”, and now he’s just thrown all of that hard work out the window. It shows a lack of respect for his own artistic growth, and that pisses me off. Was doing drugs really worth risking your career over, Joo Ji Hoon? Really?"

My thoughts exactly. I never thought much of him until I saw him in the Devil. Just a waste of potential talent. We will probably never know what he was capable of.