Actor Yoo Ah-in (real name Um Hong-sik, 39), who was sentenced to probation for habitual drug use, will return to the big screen with the movie Victory, which is set to be released on March 26.
Victory tells the story of South Korea’s top Go legend Jo Hoon-hyun (played by Lee Byung-hun), who, after losing a match against his disciple, challenges the top position once again using his innate competitive spirit. Filming for the movie was completed in 2021, and it was originally slated to be released on Netflix in 2023. However, the release was postponed due to Yoo Ah-in’s drug-related trial.
Yoo Ah-in was released on February 18 after being sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation and a fine of 2 million won in his appeal trial. With his release, the release of Victory was confirmed for March, marking his return to the screen just one month after being freed.
However, Yoo Ah-in’s appearance in the trailer was noticeably absent. Although he plays the role of Jo Hoon-hyun’s disciple, forming a duo with Lee Byung-hun, the trailer only shows the back of his head and his profile from a distance, leaving viewers curious about how much screen time he will have in the actual movie.
From September 2020 to January 2023, Yoo Ah-in was accused of habitually using medical propofol under the guise of anesthesia for cosmetic treatments at hospitals in Seoul, with 181 instances of illegal use. He was also charged with illegally obtaining over 1,100 tablets of two types of sleeping pills in another case between May 2021 and August 2022, using other people’s names.
In the first trial, Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to 1 year in prison and a fine of 2 million won and was detained. However, following the appellate court’s decision to grant him probation, he was released about five months later.