Yoo Ah-in (Yoo Ah-in)

Also known as: Eom Hong Sik, Uhm Hong Sik, Yu A In, Eom Hong Shik, Yu Ah In, 엄홍식

Date of birth: 6 October 1986 (39 years old)

Country: South Korean

Yoo Ah In is a South Korean actor, creative director, and gallerist under BILLIONS (빌리언스). In 2018, he starred in the film "Burning", directed by Lee Chang Dong. The film received universal acclaim, competing for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and being shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, becoming the first Korean film to do so. For his role as Lee Jong Su, he received international critical acclaim, including being selected for The New York Times "The Best Actors of 2018" feature. For his work in film and television, he has won the Best Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards. For his roles in both "#Alive" and "Voice of Silence", he was named "Actor of the Year" in the 2020 Cine 21 Awards. For his performance in "Voice of Silence", a low-budget indie film, he won Best Leading Actor and Popular Star awards in the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards and became the second actor to win the Best Actor award twice before the age of 40. He also won Best Actor in the Film Category in the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. In addition to his film work, he engages in social and artistic activism. He is also known for his politically and socially charged views on his social media account. In 2016, he ranked second in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list. He was exempted from military duty because of health issues. He was diagnosed with a bone tumor in 2015. He also ruptured his shoulder muscle while filming two action films, "Tough as Iron" and "Veteran", in 2013 and 2015, respectively. From February 8, 2023, police performed searches and seizures of various doctors’ offices and clinics in Seoul that were suspected of having illegally administered Propofol, an anesthetic drug, to him since 2021. The charges against him follow numerous media reports regarding the extensive abuse of Propofol in the entertainment industry, with performers using the drug to mitigate the impact of gruelling schedules and doctors indiscriminately injecting the drug without consideration of the risks of addiction to earn more cash. On March 1, 2023, TV Chosun’s “News 9” reported that in addition to testing positive for both marijuana and Propofol, a sample of his hair had also tested positive for cocaine and ketamine. On March 7, the police raided his home as part of their investigation into allegations of illegal drug use. On September 3, 2024, he was sentenced to one year in prison for habitually abusing illegal drugs and was immediately put under detention. On February 18, 2025, he was released from prison after serving five months for drug abuse, following an appeals court decision to impose a suspended sentence. (Source: Wikipedia; KoreaTimes; Soompi; TheStraitsTimes)