[NB] BoA under investigation for attempting to smuggle Zolpidem

[My Everything]

Article: BoA under investigation for smuggling Zolpidem

Source: Yonhap News via Naver

1. [+1,672, -62] SM is claiming that she had no intention of bringing it into the country illegally and that the mistake was made from not knowing the rules but this sounds similar to what Park Bom said and how she had an American prescription but she didn't know that it was illegal in Korea. SM and YG are saying the same thing but I'm suspicious as to whether they really didn't know.

2. [+1,374, -471] Zolpidem is used to help you sleep. Honestly, after having debuted at such a young age and only showing perfection for all these years, can you imagine the struggles she must be facing underneath all that? Imagine struggling to the point of needing Zolpidem to fall asleep? Yes, she should be criticized for smuggling a drug, but this piece of news actually makes me worry for her and hope that she doesn't rely on other drugs to help her struggles.

3. [+507, -21] Zolpidem is often prescribed in Korea to aid in sleep issues so why did she go to Japan specifically for her prescription? If she had just told her doctor, they would've prescribed her something easily..

4. [+389, -29] One thing that has me suspicious is that even if she had been prescribed it in the past, you need a new doctor's check up and prescription to get it again... Most doctors don't just look at a past record of prescriptions and give it to you just because you took it before. I used to live in Japan and they never gave you prescriptions unless you came and got a check up with them.

5. [+182, -2] Anyone knows that prescription drugs are safest when you go to your own doctor and get it prescribed to yourself... so why get a staff member to get a prescription overseas and have it delivered to you? That's not normal??????

6. [+154, -24] I saw her on TV recently and she looked so skinny, aged to the point of looking like a grandma... and she's only 35... made me wonder if she was sick or under a lot of dieting stress. I'm sure reaching the top at such a young age has left some feelings of emptiness within her now but I hope she learns to let go of that and find happiness for the sake of the remaining decades of her life.

7. [+123, -2] I was reading another article and it wasn't just Zolpidem but some other drugs too...

8. [+99, -2] She's a Director at SM and she didn't know? You can find anything on the internet, and the fact that she had someone else's name to bring it in? And it's not just Zolpidem on the list of drugs she tried to smuggle, which is an issue in itself ^^ People, ignorance does not excuse your crime in the face of the law ㅋㅋ It's not like she doesn't know how to read.

9. [+77, -8] I suffer from insomnia and used to be able to be prescribed Zolpidem in large quantities, but ever since celebrities started using it as a drug, I'm only able to get 28 pills per prescription. It's the only thing that helps for us insomnia patients and it's annoying that it's getting harder to get it at larger quantities because of these celebrities.

-

Source: Naver

1. [+1,297, -43] Why not just go to the hospital and get it prescribed yourself? ㅋㅋ What an excuse. I won't see your career out too far.

2. [+821, -21] If the drugs in Korea weren't working and she found ones in Japan that worked better, then basic sense would mean that she'd go to Japan to get it herself. All she needed was one doctor's note but she had to use second and third party staff members to bring it in on her behalf. What was the reason for that? BoA has been in and out on international trips so frequently and yet she and SM both didn't know the rules? Please, don't try to cover the sky with your hand.

3. [+491, -16] What's more amazing is that BoA was in four of the top search rankings but they all disappeared at once. SM's power ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

4. [+474, -79] No wonder BoA's been looking so old lately, her face looks like it's melting down

5. [+350, -14] This is just an excuse...;; She can easily get a prescription in Japan using her name so why use a staff member's name instead?

6. [+134, -1] I'm curious how much SM is blocking this in the media because someone of BoA's name should blow this scandal bigger than it is

7. [+87, -4] Everyone in the celebrity industry seems to be suffering from something mentally

8. [+83, -0] How can you claim ignorance on a drug related matter? As the director of a company in the entertainment industry? After seeing all those examples set by others? Tsk tsk tsk... I'm sure she's just saying whatever her lawyer is telling her to say.

9. [+84, -2] Zolpidem is prescribed in Korea to treat insomnia so why did she get it from Japan? Just curious

10. [+85, -13] I'm more disappointed in BoA that she's blaming her staff for this... 

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Source: Naver

1. [+1,128, -33] ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ If she's so sure of her innocence, then why not have it prescribed in her name?

2. [+540, -61] It's over for BoA now too...

3. [+413, -11] If it was truly for treatment purposes, then she could've gotten it prescribed in Korea. Why have a staff member get it for you in Japan? ㅋ why the extra steps..

4. [+126, -2] Zolpidem? All the way in Japan?? Weird... And the articles are only saying Zolpidem but I'm thinking the other drugs in the mix are a lot more controversial than this one

5. [+99, -1] Zolpidem is an insomnia treatment... is SM not helping their artists manage their mental health? How are all these celebrities suffering from insomnia, depression... they've had several suicide cases too...

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Source: Naver

1. [+775, -38] Look at SM paying off the search rankings ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'm going to throw up

2. [+646, -20] Who goes and gets their insomnia prescription all the way overseas? You can go to any local hospital and get it prescribed right there ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

3. [+463, -73] Even if it's used to treat insomnia, a drug is a drug. Farewell, you were my idol ㅠ I read somewhere that she's been taking this drug since Japan... but there are plenty of other drugs that can do the same thing ㅠ this isn't some supplement or a vaccine, all prescription drugs have the same rules.. I can't shield this ㅠㅠ

4. [+327, -19] What kind of lie is this? She's talking as if this drug doesn't exist in our own country.

5. [+141, -4] I think Lee Soo Man is spending a pretty penny on protecting BoA. Please stop turning such young kids into idols. You take them away from their parents at young ages and force them to become singing and dancing machines. No wonder they're so reliant on drugs.. I feel bad for them.. But yes, I hope BoA gets the legal punishment she deserves for this.

6. [+118, -10] Looks like it was the drugs that aged her face recently...

7. [+93, -2] This reminds me of Park Bom

Source

[Tarted]

All of this just because of a freAKinG zolpidem???? a drug for insomnia issues!!!  SK need to chill out 

[Mccuish]

This better not become another Bom incident 

[iKnife BurnCat]

is medication illegal in SK or what

[satoori]

"Zolpidem is often prescribed in Korea to aid in sleep issues so why did she go to Japan specifically for her prescription? If she had just told her doctor, they would've prescribed her something easily.."

IF this is true then she wouldn't have had to smuggle it(?)

 

 

"I was reading another article and it wasn't just Zolpidem but some other drugs too..."

"She's a Director at SM and she didn't know? You can find anything on the internet, and the fact that she had someone else's name to bring it in? And it's not just Zolpidem on the list of drugs she tried to smuggle, which is an issue in itself ^^ People, ignorance does not excuse your crime in the face of the law ㅋㅋ It's not like she doesn't know how to read."

 

???

what were the others medications

[Your Biggest Fan]

48 minutes ago, My Everything said:

1. [+1,128, -33] ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ If she's so sure of her innocence, then why not have it prescribed in her name?

 

I'm actually curious about this. Was it not in her name? Or are they still talking about having it prescribed in Korea?

[pinkpanda_spirit]

47 minutes ago, Tarted said:

All of this just because of a freAKinG zolpidem???? a drug for insomnia issues!!!  SK need to chill out 

they're saying there was another drug

[gojo]

ok but this still wouldve happened to anyone who tried to bring banned medications into korea not just boa. 

also do people really not look up medications or substances (even items for examples sex toys) that are banned/illegal in other countries. i do it everytime i go abroad and everytime i want to bring something into my country. we all know this often happens with meds too

[puellarum generatio]

5 minutes ago, gojo said:

ok but this still wouldve happened to anyone who tried to bring banned medications into korea not just boa. 

also do people really not look up medications or substances (even items for examples sex toys) that are banned/illegal in other countries. i do it everytime i go abroad and everytime i want to bring something into my country. we all know this often happens with meds too

The drug isn't illegal but they didn't follow the procedure.

[minhoe]

maybe it was coke or mdma she was trying to smuggle in under the guise of sleeping medication??

[starsocks]

This seems like a weird situation given that you could easily get a domestic prescription... I think we need more details to understand the whole story tbh  

I’m Australian so I don’t really gaf about drug scandals unless they’re like morally dicey but I get why other people do

[seokii]

it's AMBIEN guys

Zolpidem is just the generic name for AMBIEN

it's a sedative

[Nana686]

they should focus on reinforcing their law for REAL DRUGGS. the supervision of real illegal drugs is a joke in korea honestly 

Edited December 17, 2020 by Nana686

[sakurahanabira]

2 hours ago, Sugar Daddy said:

is medication illegal in SK or what

It's not. Several of the comments say that it's often prescribed in SK so it's a mystery why she had to get it from Japan. 

Quote

4. [+474, -79] No wonder BoA's been looking so old lately, her face looks like it's melting down

She looks exactly her age??? What did you expect 34 years olds to look, 20? 

Edited December 17, 2020 by melancholic autumn

[gojo]

1 hour ago, puellarum generatio said:

The drug isn't illegal but they didn't follow the procedure.

well  that's even worse then

[sakurahanabira]

Just now, gojo said:

well  that's even worse then

I mean, not really. From a comment on r/kpop:

If what they say is true) it's not actually suspicious that someone could honestly make a mistake like this. Sometimes laws regarding prescription medication and customs can be really opaque, even if you have a legal prescription.

[gojo]

1 minute ago, melancholic autumn said:

I mean, not really. From a comment on r/kpop:

 

 

well the reason why medications like these (ambien, xanax, other sedatives) are classed and controlled because they can be addictive and can be abused which is actually quite common. thats why its always better to follow proper protocols. it's also probably the reason why people are more suspicious. i know someone who has often pull stunts like this due to abuse and you always have to worry about getting caught. if she could get presciption in korea i don't see why she had to get it shipped from japan. If she was using it while she was there it's totally fine. also this is not only in korea, different countries have different laws with medications and possession without prescription can lead you to a sentence of x years. to bring it you would have to declare and say you have xxx and you have documents for support. that's why it's always important to look up the laws with meds because its so different from country to country. 

 

[midcara]

This seems weird. I could understand if the drug is illegal but if she needed it while she was in Japan, why would she wait until she got back to Korea?  I don't see the problem, especially if it's legal in Korea.

[sakurahanabira]

20 hours ago, gojo said:

well the reason why medications like these (ambien, xanax, other sedatives) are classed and controlled because they can be addictive and can be abused which is actually quite common. thats why its always better to follow proper protocols. it's also probably the reason why people are more suspicious. i know someone who has often pull stunts like this due to abuse and you always have to worry about getting caught. if she could get presciption in korea i don't see why she had to get it shipped from japan. If she was using it while she was there it's totally fine. also this is not only in korea, different countries have different laws with medications and possession without prescription can lead you to a sentence of x years. to bring it you would have to declare and say you have xxx and you have documents for support. that's why it's always important to look up the laws with meds because its so different from country to country. 

 

according to SM's statement, it was an employee working at their Japan branch that sent over the medication without checking the proper procedure. All BoA did was request the medication since the ones she had used in Korea weren't as effective as the ones she took in Japan and gave her bad side effects. Not blaming the employee since mistakes happen,  but all this could've been avoided if the employee had been more careful and double-checked.

edit: I don't know why someone "clown-emoted" me for stating what SM said?

Edited December 18, 2020 by melancholic autumn

[Poetry]

If you are involved in a vehicular collision and zolpidem is found in your system, it is considered driving under the influence.

[namidaone]

SK Food and Drug Safety Ministry changed their guidelines recently,  
which has led to a decrease in average SK doctor prescriptions per patient for zolpidem, propofol, and appetite suppressants. [x] 
So even though zolpidem is still legal in SK, the stricter guidelines is a possible explanation as to why SM staff chose to get zolpidem for BOA in Japan instead. 

[reiichi]

19 hours ago, Poetry said:

If you are involved in a vehicular collision and zolpidem is found in your system, it is considered driving under the influence.

Well given the effect it's perfectly normal. Makes you fall asleep like a baby ~15 minutes after you take it, it's remarkably efficient for its intended use (short term treatment of insomnia) but yes it makes you absolutely unable to drive safely.

Edited December 18, 2020 by reiichi

[sakurahanabira]

17 hours ago, namidaone said:

SK Food and Drug Safety Ministry changed their guidelines recently,  
which has led to a decrease in average SK doctor prescriptions per patient for zolpidem, propofol, and appetite suppressants. [x] 
So even though zolpidem is still legal in SK, the stricter guidelines is a possible explanation as to why SM staff chose to get zolpidem for BOA in Japan instead. 

they gave an explanation why in their official statement 

[namidaone]

4 hours ago, melancholic autumn said:

they gave an explanation why in their official statement 

Their official statement is even more confusing. 
How would Zolpidem from Japan be any different from Zolpidem from Korea? 

[sakurahanabira]

7 hours ago, namidaone said:

Their official statement is even more confusing. 
How would Zolpidem from Japan be any different from Zolpidem from Korea? 

They mentioned that the ones she took in Korea gave her some bad side effects. I'm guessing there's some slight differences in non-active ingredients or something (have never taken it before so I'm just throwing out possibilities).