On the evening of August 12, Griffin Entertainment issued a statement clarifying, "In the past, Onew visited a hospital after being introduced by an acquaintance and received treatment for the purpose of skincare." They added:
"At the time, Onew believed the individual in question was a licensed doctor or a medical professional at the hospital. There were no circumstances that would have led him to question the validity of the person’s medical license or the legality of the treatment procedures."The agency's response was released after the Seoul Gangnam Police Station questioned Onew as a suspect for allegedly violating the Medical Service Act.
Investigators are currently looking into how Onew received medical treatment from a woman identified as A, who did not hold a valid medical license. The main point of the investigation is to determine whether Onew was aware that A didn't have a valid medical license when he received the treatment.
Meanwhile, police are also investigating A for running a major illegal medical operation. She is accused of administering IV drips and prescribing medication to celebrities in private places like apartments and cars, without a medical license. The allegations surfaced after former managers of TV personality Park Narae exposed the situation.
Following those initial reports, authorities banned A from leaving the country late last year, executed a search and seizure warrant at her residence, and brought her in for formal questioning in February. Since then, police have questioned multiple celebrities as suspects, including Park Narae, SHINee's Key and Onew, TV personality Jeon Hyunmoo, and Youtuber Picky Eater Haetnim, to determine if they were aware that A wasn't a licensed medical professional.
Onew was first questioned by police about the situation back in May. During the interview, he explained the facts fully and cooperated completely with law enforcement.
Griffin Entertainment previously addressed this matter when the claims first surfaced last December. The agency explained that Onew had visited the hospital where A worked in April 2022 through a friend's recommendation. They pointed out that given the size and professional look of the facility at the time, it was almost impossible for Onew to suspect anything illegal was going on.
As the police investigation continues, Griffin Entertainment repeated Onew's consistent statement. They maintained that Onew went in purely for standard skin treatment and was completely unaware of any medical law violations. The agency also strongly asked the media and fans to avoid spreading false rumors and unverified speculation until official police results are revealed.
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