Medication can be an iffy subject, even when it’s a prescription. Recently, South Korean singer PSY (싸이), whose real name is Park Jae Sang (박재상), made headlines after news emerged that police booked him for violating the country’s Medical Service Act.
According to reports from 27th August 2025 (Wednesday), the “Gangnam Style” singer is under investigation for allegedly receiving prescriptions of the psychotropic drugs Xanax and Stilnox without attending in-person consultations. PSY reportedly had his manager pick up these medications from a general hospital in Seoul. South Korean authorities are now investigating the star and a university hospital physician who allegedly issued the prescriptions.
The police also recently searched the hospital to obtain related medical records. For those wondering, Xanax is used to treat anxiety, while Stilnox treats insomnia. Prescriptions for both medications require in-person consultations because remote prescriptions for such drugs have been prohibited since 2021 due to their addictive properties. Additionally, the prescriptions also have to be collected by the patient directly, or by close family members or caregivers.
PSY’s agency, P NATION, has responded to the reports in an official statement posted earlier today (Thursday, 28th August 2025). In the statement, the agency admitted to and apologised for having a third person receive the drugs on PSY’s behalf, saying, “It was clearly a mistake and lapse in judgment to have a prescription sleeping pill collected on his behalf.” The agency also clarified the remote prescription allegations.
P NATION explained, “PSY has been diagnosed with chronic sleep disorder and is taking sleeping medication as prescribed by his doctor. His use of sleeping medication has been under medical supervision, with prescriptions given for the proper dosage, and there has been no proxy prescription.” However, the label did acknowledge their mistake and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
The investigation is still ongoing, but we hope PSY can cooperate with the authorities to clear his name. What are your thoughts on this?
Sources: Korea JoongAng Daily, Chosun
