South Korea Shaken by Rising Drug Use,
Celebrity Scandals
By Kelly Kasulis
Big Bang singer Lee Seung-hyun -- popularly known as Seungri -- has been linked to a Gangnam-area nightclub called Burning Sun, where several women were allegedly drugged, sexually assaulted and filmed without their consent. Photo by Yonhap
SEOUL, May 10 (UPI) -- Take a look at the news in South Korea lately and it may seem like the nation is in the middle of a celebrity purge -- or even a drug crisis.
K-pop star and actor Park Yoo-chun dominated headlines after he was accused of using methamphetamine with his ex-girlfriend, Hwang Ha-na, the wealthy granddaughter of a major dairy mogul. At first, Park denied the allegations, but he has since confessed -- adding to a long list of other celebrities facing public shame for drug charges in recent months.
"I'm willing to take punishment for what I did, and I will live my life in regret," Park told reporters on Friday, outside Nambu Police Station.
Earlier in April, renown lawyer and TV personality Robert Holley was arrested for allegedly purchasing and using methamphetamine online -- a case that shook millions of South Koreans who watched him for years. That same month, the grandson of one of South Korea's largest conglomerates -- SK Group -- was apprehended for his alleged use of liquefied marijuana.
"My initial reaction was shock, because of the number of cases pouring out at one time. It all came out so suddenly," said Diane Park, 26, who works at the Korea Tourism Organization. "Lately, it seems like that's pretty much all you see on the news."
"Robert Holley's case in particular shocked me. It came out nowhere," said Soon Nim-jun, 55, of Seoul. "The incident went against his perceived character ... Robert Holley was seen as a intelligent, approachable and family-oriented person."
National flashpoint
The most high-profile case involves the Burning Sun nightclub scandal and one of South Korea's most famous K-pop stars.
Big Bang singer Lee Seung-hyun -- popularly known as Seungri -- was accused of having managerial ties to a Gangnam-area nightclub called Burning Sun, where several women were allegedly drugged, sexually assaulted and filmed without their consent. Seungri was also implicated for participating in a chatroom where these videos were shared, as well as soliciting prostitutes for foreign investors interested in his companies.
An official investigation has so far revealed that several police officers were bribed to overlook crimes at Burning Sun.
"That's what shocks and scares me the most," Park said. "I remember thinking, 'If the police are in on this, who can we trust?'"
"[The case of] using drugs to rape women was the most shocking," said Lee So-hee, a 26-year-old South Korean university student. "This whole drug scandal is ludicrous. I thought that Korea was safer than other countries because of the strong drug screenings and regulations. But, I guess if you're rich, you can [use] smuggled drugs."
A rising problem
South Korea takes drugs very seriously. While much of the United States has decriminalized or even legalized marijuana use, those who partake in South Korea can face up to five years in prison and a fine up to 50 million won ($42,730).
"Korean society does not approach drug addicts with the goal of healing them," said Kim Hyeong-gun, head of the Seoul Addiction Institute of Psychotherapy. "If one uses drugs, society immediately views them as criminals."
Arrests are also on the rise. There were nearly 6,800 cases involving a violation of the Act on The Control of Narcotics in 2017, according to the latest numbers from the Korean Statistical Information Service. That's a 126 percent increase since 2003.
"The drug problem has indeed increased," Kim said. "It is well-known that drugs are available and are being used in a lot of nightclubs in Gangnam."
However, South Korea's uptick in drug-related arrests hardly indicates a true crisis -- especially when it's compared to the United States, where a drug arrest is estimated to happen every 20 seconds. Many South Koreans still view drug use as a high-society problem limited to the wealthy.
"Celebrities tend to be very stressed out. They feel constant pressure to maintain their popularity, and so they may seek out drugs for 'self care,'" Kim said. "There is also the aspect of celebrities feeling like they're part of a privileged class by using drugs."
Even so, "ordinary Kims and Lees" are also getting caught up in drugs -- particularly meth amphetamines. And the recent wave of celebrity cases has some worried.
"It does concern me. The fact that people are turning to drugs tells me that there's something wrong," Park said. "I think the increasing popularity of drugs hints at a growing state of detachment, isolation and emptiness in our society."
And maybe Godlessness?
Freddie Starr died in Spain, penniless, disgraced
after child sex abuse law suit
after child sex abuse law suit
The UK singer/comedian was a household name from the '70s - '90s
Freddie Starr's body is being left in limbo after his carer admitted she could not afford to bury him in Spain and his family have not yet requested he be repatriated back to Britain.
Nelly Georgieva, 47, says the late comic, who died at his Costa Del Sol apartment on Thursday, is still in a hospital mortuary in Malaga and revealed none of his family have been in touch to talk through funeral arrangements nor request his body.
The live-in carer and close friend of Starr said she has now been left to settle thousands of Euros worth in unpaid medical bills.
The former I'm A Celebrity star sold up and left the UK after losing a £1 million libel case against Karin Ward, then 57.
She claimed he had put his hand up her skirt when she was a teenager, before callously dismissing her as a 'a###less wonder.'
He sued her for libel after she gave interviews saying she was 'horribly, horribly humiliated' by the fallen comic.
A High Court judge ruled Miss Ward was telling the truth and dismissed the case in July 2015.
Starr was 76 years old.
Costa Del Sol, Spain
Ex-Yankees, Expos reliever John Wetteland
arraigned on child sex charges
arraigned on child sex charges
‘He was completely shocked’
By Mike Rosenstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The attorney for John Wetteland maintained the pitcher’s innocence Monday as the former New York Yankees reliever appeared in Denton County (Texas) for his first court date since being arrested in January (3rd story on link), the Dallas Morning News reports.
According to the report, Wetteland, the 1996 World Series MVP, was indicted in March on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Wetteland’s attorney, Derek Adame, spoke Monday after the arraignment hearing. Per the Dallas Morning News:
“What they’ve accused him of, the only thing worse is murder. He was completely shocked [by the allegations].” Neither Wetteland nor his wife, Rebecca Wetteland, spoke to reporters as they left Judge Brody Shanklin’s courtroom ... “Think about someone you think the world of, who you trust,” Adame said. “That’s John Wetteland, for a lot of people.”
According to the report, Wetteland, now 52, allegedly forced a relative to have sex with him three times, starting in 2004. At the time of the alleged assault, the relative was 4 years old. Wetteland assaulted the relative at his home in Texas twice more in the next two years, the accuser told police, according to the report.
Wetteland pitched 12 seasons in the majors. He was a three-time All-Star — once with the Yankees in 1996, who beat the Braves in the World Series; and twice with the Texas Rangers in 1998 and 1999. He had a 2.93 ERA and 330 career saves.
‘Nobody innocent hangs themself’: US figure skater accuses deceased partner of sexual abuse
US pairs skater Bridget Namiotka has accused her former partner John Coughlin of sexual assault, making her statement four months after the man took his own life in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.
In a series of Facebook posts Namiotka claimed to have been continuously assaulted by her ex-partner, alleging that he had killed himself after his sexual crimes began to surface.
“I’m sorry but John hurt at least 10 people including me. He sexually abused me for 2 years. Nobody innocent hangs themselves,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
“Think about the victims when you’re speaking up for what he did to at least 10 girls,” the skater added.
Namiotka teamed up with Coughlin in 2004 when she was 14, spending three full seasons with the skater before splitting up in 2007. In 2006, the couple won silver medals at the junior national championship.
Last December, the US sport which was steadily recovering from the outrageous Nassar sexual-abuse scandal, was hit again after allegations of sexual misconduct were brought against Coughlin, a skater who represented the country at major international figure skating events.
SafeSport, an independent nonprofit organization which describes its goals as battling against “all forms of abuse in sport,” suspended Coughlin from figure skating after it launched investigations into sexual abuse allegations brought against him.
A day after his interim suspension and one week before the US Championships, Coughlin died by suicide (4th story on link) at the age of 33.
Rockefeller University Hospital knew about
alleged sex abuse as early as 1960s
alleged sex abuse as early as 1960s
Frank Esposito, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
An investigation at Rockefeller University Hospital by its own attorneys concluded that one of their prominent physicians abused children during his tenure there, and officials were aware of his behavior possibly as early as 1961.
Dr. Reginald Archibald, formerly of Pelham, allegedly abused hundreds and possibly thousands of children during his tenure at Rockefeller University Hospital.
The report details new findings and confirms many of the allegations about how Archibald used his status to find victims. One stunning development revealed was that Archibald kept a cabin on a remote island in Canada where he invited patients, according to the report.
Archibald would invite the children there under the pretext given to the parents of a special summer opportunity for them. Several people have claimed that Archibald abused them at the cabin, according to the Debevoise report.
Archibald had numerous reports made against him.
In 1961 the New York County District Attorney's office presented information to a grand jury, which didn't charge Archibald with an offense. There is also no publicly available record of this proceeding, and no way to know what information was put before the grand jury or why the grand jury decided what it did.
Debevoise found that searches of public databases for law enforcement action against Archibald failed to uncover any instances, but the hospital discovered a reference to this grand jury proceeding in early 2019.
The grand jury came after subpoenas were issued in late 1960 for medical records for two of Archibald’s patients. Debevoise believes those were prompted by complaints.
The exterior grounds and buildings of Rockefeller University on York Avenue in New York, March 14, 2019. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)
"The physician-in-chief himself also thought Archibald’s approach to examinations, in taking genital measurements, was questionable," wrote Debevoise.
The physician-in-chief died in 2005.
Archibald writes back to alleged victim
In 1996, a former patient wrote a letter complaining that Archibald engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct during examinations in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
At the suggestion of hospital management, Archibald wrote a letter back to the former patient, the report said. Archibald stopped working for Rockefeller in the 1980s.
The former patient also sent a letter to the New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct. Debevoise found no record of the state office following up with Rockefeller.
Debevoise also found that complaints to the NYPD and the FBI were made around 1989-1990 and that complaints to the Pelham Police and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office were made in approximately 1999.
The report concludes that more could have been done. "There were warning signs that could have been seen, appreciated or further pursued earlier," wrote Debevoise.
Confirmed allegations
The report claims Archibald would sexually stimulate his patients and take nude photos of them in various states of arousal. The whereabouts of those pictures still remains a mystery.
"To date, neither Debevoise nor Rockefeller has located any repository of these photographs. While it cannot be concluded with certainty, there is reason to believe that nearly all of the photographs were destroyed," wrote Debevoise.
Several people previously accused Archibald of using his volunteerism at Boys Club swimming pools as a way to hunt for victims.
"Patients were often referred to Archibald, who had a reputation as a prominent physician at the time, by their schools, by other physicians, or by youth organizations where Archibald served as a volunteer," wrote Debevoise.
Jennifer Freeman, at Marsh Law Firm PLLC, which represents more than 200 alleged victims, provided this statement.
"While this report is far from a complete picture of the atrocities committed by Dr. Archibald, it offers a shocking confirmation that Rockefeller University Hospital knowingly employed a child sexual abuser for decades," Wrote Freeman.
Ellen de Generes gives emotional interview
recalling sexual abuse
REBECCA O'KEEFFE, HERShe spoke candidly.
The TV personality was a guest on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman when she opened up.
Ellen opened up about being abused by her mother's former partner while she was young.
She said:
"He told me when she was out of town that he'd felt a lump in her breast and needed to feel my breasts because he didn't want to upset her, but he needed to feel mine."
Ellen's story continued, as she explained the assault.
"Again, 'cause I didn't know about bodies, I don't know that breasts are all different and... Anyway, he convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts and then he tries to do it again another time, and then another time."
Ellen DeGeneres went on to explain that she didn't tell her mum about the assault, because she didn't want to "ruin her happiness".
However, when she turned 18 she admitted everything to her mother, and told her what he partner had done. But Ellen's mother did not believe her, and stayed with the man for 18 years.
However, she eventually left him because he "changed his story so many times".
So incredibly brave of Ellen to open up about this.
One of my pet theories is that many girls who become lesbians do so as a reaction to having been sexually abused by a man as a child or young woman. This, of course, doesn't confirm that theory, but it does support it. De Generes is probably the world's best known lesbian. Kudos for sharing!
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