Yoo Ah-in is out: Retail brands cut ties with South Korean actor after he tests positive for marijuana

The recent crisis with Yoo Ah-in follows the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s drug investigation unit calling in the actor on Feb 6 to question him over the use of propofol for non-medical purposes. Photo: Handout

South Korean retail brands are preparing to erase actor Yoo Ah-in from their promotional campaigns after he tested positive for marijuana use and became embroiled in an open drug test investigation for the illegal use of propofol.

Musinsa, the largest online fashion platform in South Korea by sales, told The Korea Herald that the company is reviewing the termination of its brand model contracts with the actor.

“With the investigation currently under way, we first decided to limit (Yoo’s) public exposure considering the impact on the corporate image,” said an official from Musinsa. “We are comprehensively considering future countermeasures, including termination of his contract with us as a brand muse.”

Yoo, who has starred in Web series such as Hellbound (2021) and movies such as #Alive (2020), had been selected by Musinsa as the face of the brand in 2021.

The fashion platform had also launched an artificial intelligence-based model of Yoo, called “Mu Ah In”, in a bid to expand its virtual shopping experience.

However, currently all images of Yoo, including the AI model, have been removed across Musinsa’s services, the company’s social media, promotional campaigns and the platform’s main website.

Musinsa is one of many companies cutting ties with the 36-year-old actor.

Yoo also represented major South Korean food manufacturer Ottogi and outdoor brand Nepa. However, all their promotional videos, advertisements and posters featuring the actor have now been removed.

South Korean drugmaker Chong Kun Dang, which also used Yoo as the main face for its vitamin brand I’m Vita, removed all photos related to him from its website, YouTube channel and KakaoTalk gift channels.

The recent crisis with Yoo follows the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s drug investigation unit calling in the actor on Feb 6 to question him over the use of propofol for non-medical purposes, a violation of the Narcotics Control Act in South Korea.

Last Friday, Yoo’s urine sample came back positive for cannabis, classified as an illegal drug in the country, and the police are awaiting results from his hair sample for the possible additional detection of other drugs.

The controversy has also affected the actor’s professional relationships abroad.

Chinese fashion brand Croquis issued a statement through China’s microblogging platform Weibo that the company has “zero tolerance” when it comes to drug use. Until the South Korean police announces the results of the various investigations, the company will temporarily be taking down all content related to Yoo, who had been involved in an advertisement campaign for the company.

Experts say that the recent drug case that Yoo became embroiled in is likely to result in penalty lawsuits, as advertising contracts usually include clauses for representatives to compensate the company if they cause social controversy or damage the corporate image.

Models could pay penalties two to three times that which they received for the advertisements. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network