Actress Park Si Yeon skipped her latest court date due to the expected arrival of her baby. Her due date is only a week away.
"It's difficult for her to be in the courthouse for a long period of time," said a representative of the court. "Only her lawyer will be present.
After citing health reasons for her absence, Park asked the court to consider that she has attended all the other hearings so far. The trial date earlier this week was the eighth hearing investigating the actress on charges of abusing the controversial drug propofol. One reason for the controversy is the drug's implication in the death of superstar Michael Jackson. Also on trial for alleged illegal use of propofol are actresses Jang Mi In Ae and Lee Seung Yeon.
At an earlier trial date, which Park attended, her doctor testified that he prescribed the narcotic for her. He prescribed it to ease the pain resulting from a rare bone condition caused by a traumatic on-set injury.
Park's agency EYAGI Entertainment, said that she was injured while filming the movies "Marine Boy" and "Dachimawa Lee." The injuries led to permanent and painful bone damage. Even though she was treated for her injuries, the ongoing pain resulted in her having to leave the SBS show "Family Outing."
Although the doctor insisted at the seventh court date that he prescribed the drug specifically for pain relief, he previously made contradictory statements. At an earlier hearing he said that the actress was dependent on the drug, which can cause a euphoric state and hallucinations. But then he recanted his testimony, calling his earlier statements lies. He insisted that he only treated her for pain relief and apologized to the actress.
"I'm very sorry," the doctor said to Park during the trial.
The actress, who appeared in "My Girl," "Coffee House" and "Innocent Man," was said to have used the drug 185 times between February 2011 and December 2012. All three networks will wait for the outcome of this case before deciding whether to ban her.
According to The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Lee Seung Yeon used the drug 111 times and Jang Mi In Ae 95 times. The actresses received the drug at a Gangnam cosmetic surgery clinic supposedly to counter the pain endured during aesthetic skin treatments.
Two clinic doctors were also indicted on the abuse charges, as well as an entertainment CEO who allegedly asked the clinic to destroy records.
