By Kim Jae-heun
K-pop idol and actor Park Yoo-chun faces arrest over his alleged purchase and use of methamphetamine with his former fiancee Hwang Ha-na.
Police asked the prosecution to request an arrest warrant for the member of boy band JYJ, Tuesday. The request followed the police's three summonses of Park to grill him over his alleged crimes since last Wednesday.
Park is suspected of buying the illegal drug and using it at Hwang's residence in Seoul early this year.
Hwang, the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy Products founder Hong Du-yeong, has already been arrested on related charges. She partially admitted to her illegal drug use, and told police she used it with Park.
Police said they would not conduct joint questioning of Park and Hwang, implying they have secured enough evidence to seek an arrest warrant for the singer.
They said they secured surveillance camera footage showing Park transferring money via a cash machine at a bank and collecting an item at another site 30 minutes later. The police believe he sent money to a drug dealer and picked up the drug from a pre-arranged location.
Park has claimed he transferred the money to somebody at Hwang's request and he did not use any drugs.
Park held a press conference on April 10 to deny the charges against him.
Park and Hwang announced in April 2017 that they would get married in September the same year, but they called it off and broke up in 2018.