what the korean justice system failed to do in this case (give the correct punishment objectively without taking the petitions of the fans into consideration), the korean public should administer - let justice prevail.... don't let JJH off the hook so easily ...... don't allow him to become the OJ SIMPSON of s. korea.... OJ Simpson got away with murdering his wife and another man just because he was famous in the US. getting away with murder emboldened him to commit more crimes, he made a mockery of the US Justice system for years. but the american public and the families of his victims did not let up until he got jailed for another crime. JJH's crime may not be as serious as OJ's crime, but he still ought to do jail time. getting off with a lighter sentence will just encourage him to commit bigger crimes in the future because he'll think that his fans will always get him off the hook.... i hope his acting career doesn't get back on track anymore (now or at any time in the future) because it will set a bad example to s. korea's youth - that if you're a celebrity, you can get away with anything!!!!!

I think the legal punishment is really the least of JJH concernsm

1. His career in korea is essentially over. If he does make a comeback, he will be rebuilding from the groundfloor, and who knows whether he will even be accepted. His talent was rare, but not irreplaceable. Millions (in dollars) in revenue gone. The one thing he probably enjoyed doing and was actually really good at, now gone.

2. His family has been damaged tremendously, what they had to go through, what they face for the rest of their lives. His parents face the tougheest road, always bearing the burden of everybody else knowing more about JJH than they do.

3. Socially, likely to be avoided to the extent that it would hurt other people's careers to be seen with him. It would be a rare friend to stand by JJH and say, our friendship is worth more than potential scandal articles.

4. His time in the army will likely be twice as hard now. Not that it was going to be a breeze before, but now, he won't be left alone.

Taking these things into account, I think JJH would trade years in jail to not suffer through the consequences of being a famus tv and film star.

All of the above effects are magnified because of his status. Anyone who thinks JJH got off "light" over twice taking X and K at two rave parties, well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. From a legal perspective, its light, but the other consequences are 100x as severe...

@48
"His punishment is six months of jail with one year of probation"
He was given jail time. Six months of it.

@54

Wrong. JJH doesn't have to serve a single day of jail time. To quote javabeans, "What this means is, he gets to suspend his six months of hard time while he is on probation for a year."

He can thank the lord and know that his career is still intact (with time).

Thanks Javabeans for your article about JJH from begin till now.

I am his FC and I am one who sent the petition for him.

We accepted the judgement eventhough today sentencing will not like this.

Used drugs made him in painful one year and two months ....

Right now I understand his ms has sent to his FC last year.

Thank you for everything

Consequences will really be harsh. But considering the judge decision which a big part of it are JJH funs argument which means that despite the controversy and scandal, he’ll still be a welcome face in the entertainment world especially to his loyal funs. It may not be as glamorous as before the scandal but it’s a consequence he has to face. But I think the society in general is kind for someone like him who has repented and accepted his mistake. It’s a big knock on the head; hope he learns his lesson well.

again, i dont understand why so many people make it seem like his crime was huge..the guy took drugs twice, he didnt kill anyone so putting him and OJ Simpson in the same sentence is kind of weird, he didnt do anything major but try out the drugs....i guess it could be a cultural thing cause i know if it would have been a mexican actor/singer..etc who was or had taken drugs and it was released that he/she had they wouldnt go through everything that JJH is going through, especially not with the banning of the networks and media, they probably would have stayed low for a month but then everything would be back to normal despite them being on probation

"again, i dont understand why so many people make it seem like his crime was huge..i guess it could be a cultural thing"
--------------------
If it's a cultural thing, then understand that you don't get the culture and leave it at that. what i don't get is all these people (not just you nixxochick, i mean from reading comments) looking at it from their own country's law or social culture and imposing that perspective on their limited understanding of Korea. It's a country where this crime is a big deal, and for people saying "i bet everyone does drugs anyway," no you're wrong. drugs are available in korea (obviously since people are getting caught) but they are much harder to find than in America hence these strong punishments when laws are broken. also an actor who lives in this society *knows* how harsh the punishment is which makes them doubly stupid when they decide to take them anyway. doesn't matter if you think "drugs aren't bad they're only hurting themselves" because bottom line is they knowingly broke the law.

no matter what, imma look out for this man and support whatever project he puts out when all of this is over. i could only hope that his fans do the same.

@ furious!

''[ Soon we’ll be having celebrities who think they can get away with any crimes as long that they have a huge fanbase sending in mercy petitions.]

^@#44 I totally agree! At first I really felt bad for Joo Ji Hoon but after reading the verdict and knowing that the mercy petitions played as one of the factors why he got a lighter sentence, made me feel infuriated!''

Before you get too infuriated with the verdict, pause a while. If you had been keeping up with the news prior to JJH's appearence for sentencing. You will have been aware that JJH had already been through a 'Trial by Media' and punished, as noted by 'Samsooki', banned by TV, films cancelled etc. This was before the legal proceedings.
Fans from Korea and Overseas sent petitions, yes but how much this swayed the verdict only the judge knows. The petitions tell us that eyes beyond Koreas borders are watching, this was acknowledged by the judge.

Aja Fighting JJH, lesson learnt well, hope you get a second chance acting later.

I just spent 30 mins composing a comment but deleted it. I was irritated by some of the comments and just ranted.So the following is the only surviving paragraph!
I'm happy at the outcome for JJH, but not only for his sake but for his parents as well. To them he's a son not a celebrity and the prospect of seeing him go to jail would have been devastating.

'Trial by Media' is another arena. He is a public pop figure, he gets his living out of it. Yes, he's good at his job, but so are many normal hardworking adults but most of us do not make his kind of money out of solely his aura/image/popularity and don't get this lvl of adoration fr fans. It goes both ways. Just because u r scandalized in the public doesn't mean the court of law has to account that into a sentencing, right?! IF that's the case, then all famous celebrity is above law then, which is actually true too often. But that doesn't mean we have to just turn a blind eye.

Therefore, I'm still bothered, not by the verdict, but how it's reached. I perfectly understand the argument that he's getting a lot worst in terms of social repercussions, but the legality of things is, he broke the law and the judge has the jurisdiction to impose a verdict, IF the judge stop at explaining it by JJH has repented, taken up responsibility and giving him a second chance, therefore a lighter verdict. Totally fine and fair for me. But the fact its made under the influence of fans petitions ie special treatment, is beyond my comprehension.

RE: SAMSOOKI'S
"All of the above effects are magnified because of his status. Anyone who thinks JJH got off “light” over twice taking X and K at two rave parties, well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. From a legal perspective, its light, but the other consequences are 100x as severe…"

i strongly agree with Samsooki here....

RE: petitions
and this kind of petitions and similar petitions has been going on for years and years.... around the world..... the legal system is acutely aware of that....and more the "public".... the system therefore would be cautious in its decisions.....thus, petitions may help but isnt the prime reason... or the "general public" will see that...I dont think the system will want huge public outrage.... we will see then...

OJ SIMPSON case.....totally different.....?????????

@COCO

LOL! I feel for you......

I wanted to rant like crazy minutes ago.......^-^

^@#65 He suffered trial by Media ? Am I supposed to pity him for that?
He did something that he wasn't supposed to do, so he has to suffer the consequences just like everyone else.

If every celebrity gets lighter sentencing just because his fans send thousands of petitions to request maximum leniency , how is it fair? then i guess we'll be expecting a lot of actors just doing whatever the hell they want thinking they could get away with everything. How about the regular folks who dont/didn't have a fanbase?

The problem with fans is that they think their favorite actor is above the law. It's called blind adoration and obsession.

i can't stand the people who are calling for stronger sentences for jjh. i'm not a big fan but i would have missed watching him onscreen. i think he was really stupid taking drugs in korea when he knew how seriously it's taken. i'm thankful, for him, that he managed to dodge the bullet this time. let's hope that he learns from this lesson and stays on the right side of the law from now on. yes, he was probably arrogant before this but i don't think he deserves jail time for using ecstasy and ketamine.

i don't know how bad korean jails can be but i don't think you can compare them to the celebrity "jails" in US. at any rate, i would not wish jail time on anyone. it's unfair that he got off lightly compared with regular individuals but i don't begrudge him his good fortune. moral of the story: don't do drugs in korea, period.

^Personally I'm not wishing jail time or anything on him. IF it's up to me, I wouldn't even waste taxpayer's money on trial on someone using drugs twice or whatever.

Verdict wise, I'm relieved too he got a lighter than expected sentence. Again, I'm most pissy over the judge announcing he/she made the decision under the influence of fans petition. Giving the power of law into the hands of adoring fans is just nuts.

@72 mookie - Jun 23, 2009 at 1:33 pm

"Verdict wise, I’m relieved too he got a lighter than expected sentence. Again, I’m most pissy over the judge announcing he/she made the decision under the influence of fans petition. Giving the power of law into the hands of adoring fans is just nuts."

Actually, I don't mind this. That's what judge's discretion means - making arbitrary choices. What if the judge chose the sentence based on what he or she gave the last few drug users? In my view, that's just as arbitrary because what one person has as circumstantial issues is going to be different from another. Every case is different, and merely following the previous cases will be quite arbitrary and probably just as unfair.

The judge has the discretion for sentencing, to take into account those elements of the convicted person's background that would be relevant in making a sentencing decision. Why isn't his support network and his fans an element of that? Some people parade their small children before the judge, in asking for leniency. Others showcase their elderly parents. Those are equally acceptable in terms of sentencing, because they show that other people rely on the convicted person, right? If JJH positively affects a million people (each only slightly, but in a real way), then wouldn't that be relevant too?

Maybe it isn't as relevant as, say, whether JJH is repentant, whether he would be clean and sober from now on, etc. But it is within the judge's discretion to take all factors into consideration.

But as I said above, JJH may have gotten off lightly because of his celebrity status, but overall, his celebrity status made him lose several magnitudes more than a normal person would have lost in terms of everything (money, career, family, friends, everything), for doing X and K at two rave parties. And finally, I am sure that the judge took THAT into consideration as well.

^Very valid!

But that's what I have with the whole issue of blind fandom. Children and parents are blood relatives so the arguments of dependencies and how they will be affected r way more direct and pronounced.. True, everything is arbituary and to the judge's discretion, hence in many of those cases with proven guilt and evidence, the judge can totally not consider those sentimental factors as well. The judge here chooses to weigh fans' adoration of an idol as a consideration of a serious crime in Korean jurisdiction. The other side of the coin can be since JJH is an idol whom the younger generation idolizes and hence the overwhelming outpouring of fans' petition, he should get a harsher sentence as well. (not saying it's fair). The majority of the fans do not know him other than his pretty appearance/acting ability, adoration stemming fr that has nth relevant to him as a person or no indication or good predictor of his future behavior, for a judge to put that into such serious consideration bugs me, that's all.

Call me square, (sorry for the rant) but for fans to rely on an idol for sustenance bugs me to no end.

@73 SAMSOOKI

mmmm...thanks Samsooki. That is insightful.... ^_^ I learn alot from you and from this site in general....

*tapping and dancing along 8eight's song FREEDOM*
ok...back to work...time to save lives..... LOL!!! yeah, yeah, this site is more important...hehe!!

@74, mookie

"The other side of the coin can be since JJH is an idol whom the younger generation idolizes and hence the overwhelming outpouring of fans’ petition, he should get a harsher sentence as well. (not saying it’s fair). The majority of the fans do not know him other than his pretty appearance/acting ability, adoration stemming fr that has nth relevant to him as a person or no indication or good predictor of his future behavior, for a judge to put that into such serious consideration bugs me, that’s all.

Call me square, (sorry for the rant) but for fans to rely on an idol for sustenance bugs me to no end."

Agreed!

It is a question of weight, obviously. The fact that the judge actually noted the fan mail / petitions seems to indicate that at least some weight was placed on that factor, when reason and reasonability suggests that only a nominal weight (if any) should be placed on such a weak justification for lighter sentence. Yet I STILL see it as a positive though. Any justice system that has at least the potential for outside voices to be heard through protest or through fangirl idolism is not necessarily a bad thing.

For example, what if this were a different case altogether, and JJH was not guilty (in reality of anything) and his arrest, indictment and prosecution was all part of being railroaded politically because the prosecution and conservatives did not appreciate JJH's movie Antique Bakery (with its homosexual themes). And hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions to show their support? Obviously, such is not the case here, BUT, my point is if it were the case, then we can applaud the power of the people having a positive impact on the judicial process, and perhaps it would be a good thing.

In one case, blind fangirl-ism and fan-atical support is likely a large part of the support showcased before the judge. In the other case, a true and sincere groundswell political / social movement to prevent injustice engineered by those with anti-gay agendas would be showcased.

My opinion is that if you would allow the latter, you also have to allow the former, and it would be up to the judge to determine fangirlism from something more substantial. And so whether the judge puts any weight on something as flimsy as "but, but... I really really think JJH is sooooooooooo cute," well, that's up to the judge. LOL. In this case, merely noting that it was factor seems to indicate that it was perhaps a larger factor than I would have given such a petition, but, the fact that the judge considered it at all is a good thing, imo.

@MOOKIE
The majority of the fans do not know him other than his pretty appearance/acting ability, adoration stemming fr that has nth relevant to him as a person or no indication or good predictor of his future behavior, for a judge to put that into such serious consideration bugs me, that’s all.

Call me square, (sorry for the rant) but for fans to rely on an idol for sustenance bugs me to no end.

mmmm..... good point Mookie......

@SAMSOOKI

i have a question... am in the middle of work so i might not reply soon...
SO, LET'S SAY THERE'LL BE A HUGE OUTRAGE FROM THE PUBLIC ON THE VERDICT AND PEOPLE ARE ASKING TO LOOK AT THE CASE AGAIN... CAN IT BE APPEALED TO HIGHER COURT?
MY KNOWLEDGE ON LEGALITIES ARE VERY LIMITED (not my favorite subject ever since...hehe) SO SORRY IF AM USING THE WRONG TERMINOLOGIES....

I strongly felt that one should not question the judge's decision....I believe the sentence is finalised in view of many factors and circumstances which no one would know except the judge............By giving a youngster a second chance, it's a good thing....not only for celebrity but also for a normal person...after all, celebrity is a human being too!

Being a celebrity is never easy ..... especially one has to maintain its high standard of social responsibility.......reason being why there were so many suicide cases in the past & this year in South Korea when one can't solve the problem, went into depression and resolve by committing suicide. Why can't we be more magnanimous and life will be more wonderful for others too! Strong and cruel comments on site are so dangerous.....if the celeb is a hyper sensitive person...and can't accept the criticism....there it goes.......so sad :(

Life is short.....make others happy and you will be happy too!! :)

JJH, so never give up and prove to all that you really have repented since the last intake of drug and will never do drug no more!!! Then, the judge will be glad too that he did not make a wrong judgement on you (since there were few people commented on the judge's decision). Wishing you a bright, successful and healthy future ahead in many years to come. :)

@77 MEIKO**** ^-^

My understanding of Korean law is that the judge's decision is final, unless the process is found to have been illegally disrupted by some means (corruption).

And while public outcry shouldn't have any relevance as to whether there is or isn't a consequential examination of the process by which the judge finds his verdict, but I would guess that public pressure can do just about anything. Enough public pressure can cause a lot of things to happen, even make laws change ex post facto, cause investigations to stop, cause investigations to begin, lots of things... which have all happened in Korea...

His urine and hair test was NEGATIVE, BUT HE CHOSE TO ADMIT that he used the drugs. He could have gotten off easier if he did not confess. He said he could not continue his life if he lied about the matter....
Ji Hoon... My gentleman prince, I Love him even more....

oh really....did not hear about the news on urine and hair test....if so....and he chose to admit his mistake....that is definitely a positive side of him...at least he does not lie....he felt guilty for so long.....thus the judge's decision to pardon him and also all his fan's peititions..........he has proven to be a honest person which is a real asset of him..... cheers JJH

At least some light at the end of tunnel.. I am quite relieved..

I read somewhere (most likely here) that netzines were not happy with him after he said that he'll go to MS right away, like he was trying to use it when he shouldn't. That was before this verdict. Is it still the same? And also, does he need to wait that 'probation' year before he goes for MS or not?

Samsooki wrote that it will be much harder for him in military. Like what? I did not have questions for JB, but I guess I have a lot about JJH :o(.

My another best friend just got out from prison 1 week ago after 4 months for DUI. It was tough for her, she aged visibly and very hard & troublesome for people around. And not cheap either :o(.

@79 SAMSOOKI

mmm..... i see.....*trying to remember the laws and constitution i had in college...and trying to remember what those terms you just put in mean...hehe*

if am not mistaken, seems like similar to american legal system.....

and you are right, public pressure can change things for better or for worse...

thanks! ^-^

@80 melody

really? wow, didnt know that...... maybe there was other evidence... like one of those two actors naming him.... anyhow, from what i read above, it has been more than a year now from the last time JJH took drugs.....

good luck to JJH!!!! ^-^

@80, melody -

My understanding is that JJH confessed after being questioned, which is after the police knew to question him, which means the police already had evidence pointing towards him..

If JJH was uncooperative, and either refused to answer questions or denied doing anything, and, others rolled on him, then if he were convicted he would be looking at probably the maximum sentence plus he would be a desperate liar in the eyes of many.

Different rules of procedure in the korean legal system, and his case was not (and wouldn't have been) a jury trial. JJH may be a gentleman, but the actions post-arrest were all carefully though-out and negotiated.

Korea has the "innocent til proven guilty" and "beyond reasonable doubt" standard for criminal trials, but you shouldn't think that the standards and process are the same. Eye witness testimony from corroborating witnesses, cell phone pics and video, and phone call logs would prove he was at least there, and a few different people saying "yeah, he was there and he did it with me" might be enough for conviction.

how could joo ji hoon become like this ? i remember , he looks hot in princess hours ! i'm disappointed of him, really .

i'll love him anyway <3

Great job, Javabeans for providing fast and accurate news and Samsooki for enlighten us on this issue..

oh please, spare me the "parent" argument. i know that his parents must be feeling bad about this scandal but the question is did JJH think of his parents when he made the decision to take K and E? did he think of his fans while he was enjoying himself with K and E? did he think of his management team who worked hard to create the JJH illusion? i am pretty sure the only thought on his mind at the time was about having a blast.

and the only reason he admitted to using drugs was because he was already found to have taken it in the past. it would have been even more of a disaster if he denied using and then later on evidence will come out that he indeed used drugs. that was the only reason he didn't lie!! so don't give me the crap that he is honest! he was honest about using K and E because it suited him to be honest....

i still maintain that he got a light sentence. if his fanbase is big enough to influence a judge's decision, then it's big enough to put his career back on track once he and his management team feel that he has "suffered" enough.

Of course parents will feel "bad & mad" when their loves ones esp. their kids make mistake., but will they punish them forever? A loving & understanding parents would always forgive them and let their children learn and "grow" again & be a better person.

So pls give JJH or any other human being in this world a second chance to "breathe" & learn from mistake.....

I know that this comment is a little late but I just felt the need to put in my two cents.

First of all, I really can't believe that many of the comments are so negative. I don't condone drug use but probably not for the same reasons that many of you disapprove of it. I'm not on some moral high horse and thinking it's such an unforgivable thing to do but merely believe the risk for addiction it too high for it to be worth it. Whether it's Korea or here in the states, society is so full of hypocrisy that it baffles me. For instance, if you go out to a club/bar you see so many people drink until they can't even walk straight and that is socially acceptable. However, those who use recreational drugs but are not addicts are demonized compared to those who are full blown alcoholics. People tend to sympathize with alcoholics but see drug users as the scourge of society. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, alcohol is a drug. One that not only impairs your judgment but your motor skills as well and it takes far less than most people think to get you to this state. I can go out almost anywhere and hear someone say they are going to drunk later that night and no one bats an eye or rather, encourages them. I find it interesting that people readily accept this type of behavior but not someone who does recreational drugs merely because governments deem one acceptable and not the other. I don't think that ecstasy, in it's pure state, is any more or less dangerous than alcohol. The only reason that the risk is higher with ecstasy is that you can't be sure what extra "ingredients" the crazy person that made it put in it. Either way they both can be just as dangerous. Also, no matter what country your talking about the percentage of prescription drug and/or alcohol abuse far out weigh the number of illicit drug abuse. Now I'm not saying that we should legalize drugs or prohibit the use of alcohol but merely pointing out our social hypocrisies. I say let the punishment fit the crime.

With that said, I don't believe that drug users or drug addicts should be imprisoned or treated as criminals unless an actual crime was committed. They should receive rehabilitation and a prison sentence will certainly not give them that. Addiction is just as much psychological as it is psychical and both have to be addressed in order for the person to recover. With this particular case it seems to be a case of experimentation and nothing more. Here in the states, unless he had the actual drugs in his possession, he would not have even been arrested and if he did have some on him (depending on the amount), he would have probably got off with probation since it was his first offense. But we're talking about Korea and for those who say that the judge was out of line for taking the fans petitions into account well you are thinking in terms of the judicial system here but in Korea a persons character is put on trail much more so than here. I believe in Korea there could be a number of people that can speak on your behalf so his attorney probably took that into account when using the petitions. In the states, attorneys often use character witnesses to help win their cases. Therefore, it's not so different. The point is that a drug addict is only hurting themselves and often suffer from other psychosocial issues that is the underlying problem so they should be offered help and not treated as if they just killed hundreds of people, no matter how disappointed you may be with them. In Ji Hoon's case, he is not an addict but made a major error in judgment and the mere fact that he ruined his career, should be a good enough wake up call. There was no need for the government to waste money and take this to trail when I'm sure there are true criminals that should take precedence.

^ Dammit I meant physical not psychical... WTH was i thinking?!

justice/law in a sense sometimes not just fair/unfiar ppl. A lot of law are not passed up due to public policy or political reasons. If you study law, you will see that. Remeber this is an article, not an offical law case report we read at the court, and God knows how media usually writes crap.

I don't believe a Justice/Judge would say something as careless as giving light sentencing due to fan's petition, Judges got brains. The reporters must write it in the wrong sense.

I don't really know how serious drugs crime is in S.K (must be serious from what i see). But I don't and won't judge Ji Hoon based on his actions. I'm not his fan, but we don't know what made him do drugs, is it fair to jugde him based on a this alone?

Ppl may say that he sets bad exmaple for youngsters and that his fans may follow him and do drugS!

Trust me! If his fans really follow him and do drugs, the problem lie in their brains (IQ) not, Ji Hoon's character.

His acting in The Devil was stunning, so I really hope to see his come back

to those people who comment negatives about JOO JI HOON "YOU"dont have the right to judge him...............
JOO JI HOON WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
take care always "GOD BLESS YOU"

I LOVE YOU !!!!!!!!

YOUR MY NO. ONE FANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JOO JI HOON: MARVEE, MOVELYN,AND RUSSEL LOVES YOU!!!!!!!!!
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF ,GOD BLESS YOU,YOUR SPECIAL FAMILY,AND YOUR CAREER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO! JOO JI HOON GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just to clarify:

Joo Ji-hoon will likely NOT spend any time in jail.

If you don’t know what a suspended jail sentence is, it means that you are given a probation term (in this case, 1 year) during which you can “prove” yourself clean, and therefore negate your initial sentence (6 months of jail). Suspended sentences are often given for particular crimes like drunk driving.

Ju ji Hoon you are the best. perfackt and the Peopel love you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much.

please don't do it again, it is bad to one's health and image. tried out once is enough, but Korea legal system did not except this excuse. Curiosity kills cats. These two year army serving will surely help you build up a stronger body & good image. (I did try some drugs - legal in US - when stayed in US college). Youth is full of excitement of trial & errors, but becareful, roaring lions are everywhere!! don't be the victim.

We still look to it - your come back in NOV 2011.
HAIL to KEYEAST ENTERTAINMENT.

once again,we love to drown in your drama series.!!! : )