Actress Park Si Yeon had a good reason to be taking the drug propofol, said her doctor in the fifth hearing of the case. The actress was using the drug as prescribed, said Dr. Ahn, not abusing it. And she was taking it for a valid reason.
Ahn was one of three doctors accused of improperly prescribing the drug for actresses Lee Seung Yeon, Park Si Yeon and Jang Mi In Ae. He and two other witnesses gave testimony during this hearing, which took place on May 20.
According to the doctor, Park Si Yeon took the drug to cope with the pain she suffers due to avascular necrosis, a condition, in which the bone tissue dies from lack of blood. Normally bone breaks down and rebuilds but with this condition, the tissues in her hip are breaking down faster than they can be repaired.
The painful condition can be caused by an injury but is also associated with diseases such as Lupus. Treatments vary from hip replacement to physical therapy. Patients usually take medication for the pain.
The actress dates the pain back to an injury she received in 2006 while filming the movie "Marine Boy" and another injury she sustained while filming "Dachimawa Lee." Although she was treated for her injuries, the pain did not go away. The actress was in so much pain that she was limping. No one could figure out why. She had to visit dozens of hospitals before she received a diagnosis in 2009 and that resulted in her leaving the SBS show "Family Outing."
Propofol helped relieve the pain. But using the drug remains controversial as it has been abused for its side effects and its abuse was implicated in the death of superstar Michael Jackson.
"Park Si Yeon did not receive any treatment at the hospital other than pain treatment," said Dr. Ahn. "The receipts match up. I lied when I told prosecution she was dependent on the drug. I am very sorry toward Park Si Yeon."
His apology may do more harm than good. The fact that Ahn lied to the prosecution does not make his current statement seem credible. Nor did he explain why he lied to the prosecution. His original statement, which he now says is a lie, helped the prosecution charge her with abusing the drug, which they said she used 185 times from February 2011 to December 2012.
Park Si Yeon, whose career began when she entered the Miss Korea Pageant in 2000, has appeared in the dramas, "My Girl," "Coffee House" and "Innocent Man." All three networks are waiting for the outcome of this case before deciding whether to ban her from appearing in their shows.
