since i am not familar with the korean legal system, what does this mean? what is next? is there a trial or is there a sentencing date for jail? or what? and how long would jail time mean (on average) twice usage?

i still love him and will support him now and in the future...but i hope he learned his lesson...hehe.. :)

It's so sad. I liked him as an actor too. I hope things do work out for him eventually.

I've got the same questions as yogini. It's not that I'm a big JJH fan. I'm just concerned about him and what's going to happen to him in the future. I wish him all the best though.

They're charging him for drug use, I don't know the Korean Legal system so I don't know the punishment for use of illegal substance, but since he admitted it rather than being caught with drugs I doubt the sentence would be severe. Do koreans do community service?

what happens now? What does this mean?
What will happen to his career?

OMG
i just had a small heart attack
how can these things happen?

i'm curious who Ms. Jeon is? How come she's not out in the public eye like JJH?
I feel really bad for him and his career...

After charging him... there will be trial. When would that be? :(

GUys this is what i search on the net....

"Korean government policy is aimed at discouraging the use of dangerous and habit-forming drugs in the country. Korean statutes classify marijuana as a "dangerous narcotic." Parole is virtually never given in drug-related cases. Recent legislation provides that trafficking or abusing drugs may result in prison for an indefinite term and confiscation of illegal proceeds and the illegal substance."

darn it all! not gonna see that pretty mug for a while!

poor yoon ji hoon.......everybody make mistake....plzzz I really like him. Don't do this to him

This sucks. I'm sorry but he looks pretty damn good in that picture.

yup - at least choose a bad photo so we wouldn't feel the need to miss him. but seriously, he was just getting better in his acting but that's all moot now.

I'm with cullenhale, he looks daaamn good!!! in the picture.
ok I got that out of my system.
About the news, I feel very sad because I do not think we will see him in movies or dramas again!!! drugs are a big no no in Korea!!!

sorry JJH I'll miss that body of yours!!!!

The charge is for use of an illegal drug on two occasions
We accepted what he done and will support him what he will do.

Because the people need chance for human 's life...I mean human.

hmmmm..1. he admitted to using it twice at party held last year.
2. he wasn't caught in possession
will he go to jail for that? I hope not :(
love the pic....love the man.....
I miss him already :( .... I'll watch Antique Bakery again...for the nth time

I wonder if this is the last we'll see of him? Hopefully not.

Maybe he can be an ambassador for why drugs are bad (having personal mini experience) XD

I like that picture of him lol

Do we know what the penalty was? Like a fine or something? I'm glad he's not jailed at least.

Why is drug-usage such a big deal in Korea? Especially in the entertainment industry, where there are bound to be drug-users (at least in secret)? And the outrage/anger against JJH, isn't it a bit much? Sure, he did drugs, but a lot of other people in the business do as well. For every celebrity that's caught, there must be a dozen who aren't...

After this indictment he is still gonna get trialled and whether he gets jailed or not will be announced, either way his life is screwed! He wont be able to come back to the industry for atleast 5 years if he even can. Plus, there havent been to this day, a celebrity who got busted for drugs who made a "successful" comeback.
It seems, they've all attempted, then either failed miserably and left, or are just scraping by.

they said that many actor & actress buy ecstasy and ketamine, but now I see only JH.Why????????????? This unfair. maybe you ruin his career

Thank you javabeans to let us know JJH'ssituation.

That's right. He made a choice. Too bad he made the wrong one...

Ahhh.... I have been thinking about the updates on JooJiHoon.....thanks JavaB...
*me....being nonchalant....trying to...*

I dont know JooJiHoon...... I am actually hating myself for knowing the fact that sooner or later, you will slowly and gradually fade from my "mind".... not because I wont like you anymore but because you will be replaced with better actors... HOWEVER, I will definitely cherish the fond memories... I have the DVDs....

I am still really really really really rreallyyy hoping to see you with a big smile soon, then maybe i will stay by your side ....

fighting!!!!

*lips trembling..teardrop falling*

Many Thanks JB for the update on Joo Ji-hoon.
As he is not (held in custody, )jailed, thus maybe on bail. Can we assume that someone is being quietly supportive beside him. Hope so.
With luck he may be allowed a second chance serving the community in some way.

JJH, Fighting.

If he is a drug addicts, he should be sent to the rehabilitation centre and if he is lucky may be granted a second chance.

If the evidence shows that he is a trafficker, he should be sent to jail. No second chance should be granted to a drug trafficker!! The most effective way to prevent recivitism is caning and max jail sentence.

The judicial system in Korea should uphold justice to send these criminals to jail. This will post a stern, but effective message to the rest of the celebrities in Korea.

thanks JB for the updates, cause I've been wondering about it last night!
*sigh* like someone mentioned earlier, he was getting better in his acting and then BAM that thing happened! I really feel so sorry for him! he's only a human and humans do mistakes!! I know choosing to be an actor means he's willing to be somehow perfect and be considered and icon or an idol and setting a good example for the younger generation, but still!! we're being very harsh on him right now!
it just kills me whenever I hear about someone who's still young and doing drugs :( It makes me feel that someone was pretty much lonely, doesn't have anyone to talk to, depressed... etc. So that's just sad to think of Ji Hoon going through all of this, and yet he has to pretend that nothing happened and has to keep his image perfect!! (reminds me of his character in MaWang!! I can't imagine anyone going through all of this alone!)
anyway, wishing him all the luck and hopefully he won't be jailed. I'm also praying that his career isn't over as many people said! I hope he gets great projects when this fuss fades a little and proves to us (and most importantly to himself) that he finally got over the drugs and that he should now start a new life.
aja aja Ji Hoon ^_^ I really liked you in MaWang and Antique, so I'll be waiting for your comeback, and hopefully the wait won't be too long *crossing fingers*
(now, back to my eternal misery = studying for finals <_< )

His actor career maybe is done, but i think he still can be a model. Even an international model. It's not the end of the world for him because using drugs is not that terrible in others countries.

@2 yogini -

"since i am not familar with the korean legal system, what does this mean? what is next? is there a trial or is there a sentencing date for jail? or what? and how long would jail time mean (on average) twice usage?"

So, here's what happened so far, I think.

JJH was questioned relating to a large drug bust. During the questioning, I believe he confessed to drug use. He was then arrested for drug use. He was then released. Following this, the prosecution, in their discretion, decided to indict.

Only a small fraction of these kinds of cases actually go to trial, and so it is very likely that the judge in this case will review this case without a trial. Various evidentiary support will be delivered by JJH attorneys attesting to his lack of a criminal record or even any evidence of previous wrong doing, his young age and 'innocent' use, and his extreme likelihood of never using again. The prosecution, on the other hand, will point to his status as a celebrity, the fact that he had no trauma or any other justification other than curiousity and for immature entertainment purposes, and the fact that JJH was a role model for the youth of Korea, which leads to this being a perfect opportunity to set an example to set JJH as a sacrificial lamb for the prevention of future drug use.

Sentences are at the discretion of the judge, within the framework of the penal sentencing law, and I think the penalty is up to 5 years in jail with X amount of fines. Depending on which way the judge is swayed -

LESS OR NO INCARCERATION: JJH is a first time offender, extreme likelihood for 100% rehabilitation and no further use for the rest of his life. He is probably extremely sorry, and will do whatever it takes to make up for his bad judgment. There is no reason to put him in prison given all that he has lost already.

MORE INCARCERATION: JJH, quite literally, has no excuse, and a stiff sentence will reverberate throughout Korea, and tell everyone to stay away from drugs. Putting him in prison will send an important message.

***

Whatever JJH gets, he should realize that he is extremely lucky that he did not get involve in trafficking, which has waaay stiffer sentences, and start with a minimum of 10 years in prison for activities such as "illicitly supplying the narcotics or drugs for habitual profit-making." and go upwards of life in prison and then even the death penalty.

"Only a small fraction of these kinds of cases actually go to trial"

I misspoke here, rather badly actually. Whether or not there will be a "trial" really depends on the kind of case. While the majority of criminal cases do not go to "trial," that's really only in the cases where the crime alleged does not require prison sentences (or really small sentences, like a max sentence of up to a year in jail) and can be adjudicated mostly with just monetary fines. In those cases, the korean system is a lot like plea bargaining with the judge deciding on a fine and pushing the case off the docket.

With cases where a trial is warranted, we have to realize that Korea does not have a jury system like the US (nor do they have arraignment). That said, there is a presumption of innocence with respect to every stage, and conviction is based on a standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

In this case, with JJH facing a potential sentence of up to 5 years based on the statute, JJH will likely have to go to court, and will likely have to bear the public scrutiny of a public trial. Because there isn't an arraignment, even though JJH has already confessed, there still has to be a public prosecution with the prosecutor trying to "prove" beyond a reasonable doubt that JJH is guilty of violating the Narcotics Act (use of illegal drugs), I think like Section 66 or something like that.

During this trial, JJH may remain silent, or he can submit to questioning by the prosecution or by the judge. Korean criminal justice system allows for the questioning of the defendant (not an adversarial system), under the idea that the defendant likely knows the facts better than anyone else.

Finally, the judge makes the final call as to weight of the evidence, whether he believes any witnesses called, and what the sentence will be.

Poor JJH ... but still love him!

Poor judgement on his part, but who can help having a good time or being in the moment ... he is after all still human.

**FIGHTING**

smileSilly

Just watched Naked Kitchen and the more I see of him, the sadder I get because of of the hell he's put himself in.

I bought Antique (he could probably use the money too, because it's unlikely he's going to work in the near future) - and it is one of the few movies I show to my friends who doesn't watch anything Asian - I think it's that good.

I'd definitely still hit it. I hope he finds a career somewhere, at least modeling. The world shouldn't be deprived of that face.

i'm so sad with this news. i feel like i just know him (as i just watched princess hours and antique bakery) and i thought he would be as big as bae young jung one day as his acting is improved. now i feel like he's gone because this stupid scandal.

so sad ....

@ Samsooki: you've been explaining this matter very eloquently all this while :) understand more about it.
@ Javabeans: Thanks for the update. Been curious about it for a while..

this is sad. drugs are like career suicide in korea... it's not like i support drug abuse or think it's alright but i really wish korea didn't make such a big deal about this. gl joo ji hoon :/

@JB.
Thanks for the update! I was wondering what had happened to him and I'm kinda wary to check others sources. Your blog is definately the best out there, always reliable, always true to the facts, no sensionalism or "embelisshments" done. Thanks!

I doubt he used drugs "twice." That's all he got caught doing. But who ever uses drugs only twice?! He's actually lucky because it's very possible he could have been in a lot worse trouble. Sometimes people never think about consequences until it's way too late. That's the way life is, right? Now he'll be remembered as the guy who was in "Goong" and then got busted.

Ever watch some of the episodes of "Locked Up Abroad"?http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/locked-up-abroad
The world is filled with people who should have known better.... ;)

Just a small modification to Samsooki@33. Although Korea may not have a full-fledged jury system like the US, it's testing one out for better or (imho) for worse.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7241514.stm
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSSEO16342120070503

awww, this is sad...... T____T

i hope he survives this, i loved his acting ♥

why ? i can't believe

I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS!!! He is such an amazing actor?
This really, truly sucks... A LOT.... Why Yoon? Why?
:-(