Psy is being investigated by Seoul police over allegations that he illegally obtained pharmaceuticals with out the required in-person physician visits.

Rapper Psy is underneath felony investigation in South Korea over claims he illegally obtained prescription medicines with out required in-person physician visits, authorities confirmed Thursday.

The “Gangnam Style” hitmaker, whose actual title is Park Jae-sang, and a college hospital doctor have each been booked by Seoul’s Seodaemun Police Station for allegedly breaching the nation’s Medical Service Act.

Officers say Psy acquired prescriptions for Xanax and Stilnox—medicines used to deal with anxiousness and insomnia—between 2022 and this 12 months with out present process face-to-face medical evaluations.

Instead, police allege, Psy’s workers members picked up the prescriptions on his behalf. Under South Korean legislation, such medication require direct doctor-patient consultations and can’t be collected by third events as a consequence of their classification as psychotropic substances.

Investigators launched the probe after receiving a tip and later raided the hospital to acquire medical information. The prescribing physician has denied wrongdoing, insisting distant consultations had been carried out according to rules.

Psy’s label, P Nation, issued a public apology Thursday, acknowledging the lapse and attributing it to lingering habits from the COVID-19 period.

“It was clearly a mistake and lapse in judgment to have a prescription sleeping pill collected on his behalf. We sincerely apologise. PSY has been diagnosed with chronic sleep disorder,” the company mentioned in an announcement.

“There were never any proxy prescriptions … (but) a third party did receive the drugs on his behalf in some cases,” the corporate added.

The Medical Service Act, designed to guard public well being and guarantee moral medical practices, carries extreme penalties for violations.

Offenders can resist three years in jail and fines of roughly $22,500.

In extra extreme circumstances, corresponding to these involving abuse of managed substances or affected person hurt, sentences have reached as excessive as 16 years.

The police say they’re reviewing the seized paperwork and will summon Psy for questioning. The investigation stays ongoing.

Psy, 48, rose to worldwide stardom in 2012 with the viral hit “Gangnam Style,” which lampooned Seoul’s prosperous Gangnam district and have become the most-watched YouTube video on the time.

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