Actresses Lee Seung Yeon, Park Si Yeon and Jang Mi Ne Receive Prison Sentences

Despite denying the charges the three actresses accused of being dependent on the drug propofol have been sentenced to prison time. Lee Seung Yeon, Park Si Yeon and Jang Mi Ne were sentenced to eight months prison time and two years of probation. They were also fined. Jang Mi Ne must pay a fine of  $5500, Lee Seung Yeon must pay $4000 and Park Si Yeon $3,700 plus additional charges.

The actresses will also suffer financially because the guilty verdict affects their ability to work. The major television stations have already banned them and it is uncertain when that ban will be lifted. KBS already stated that a discussion will take place regarding their decision to hire the actresses in the future. SBS recently released a statement.

"Because of the guilty verdict, they will be banned from SBS without any further discussion," said an SBS representative.

Park Si Yeon, who starred in "Nice Guy," recently finished filming "The Last Knight." There is no word as to how her sentence will affect promotions for the film.

The judge said that the sentence had to be severe because as public figures, the actresses set a bad example for the public. He also said that the sentences were more severe because the actresses kept denying the claims.

Park Si Yeon and her doctor claimed that she took the drug to alleviate pain caused by on-set injuries. Jang Mi Ne, who appeared in "Missing You," said she took the drug following painful skin treatments. Lee Seung Yeon, who appeared in "The Great Seer,' claimed she took the drug to deal with the pain left over from an earlier spinal fracture and also to deal with the pain following skin treatments. 

Jang Mi Ne said that she did not even know she was taking propofol.

"During the first investigation, I learned that the injections I received were propofol," she said. "During the second investigation, the prosecution said that other celebrities admitted to it and if I didn't then I would be charged. I was only administered propofol so that my surgery wouldn't hurt as much. There was no other reason."

Lee Seung Yeon also said she never requested propofol.

"People now consider me a drug addict," she said.

"I definitely was not given propofol as often as it is claimed," said Park Si Yeon. "I was not dependent on it."

Propofol is a sedative that numbs pain, induces sleep and helps the user relax, but it does have some dangerous side effects. The drug has been abused recreationally because it induces hallucinations and feelings of euphoria. Propofol abuse was implicated in the death of superstar Michael Jackson.

But the judge said his judgment considered the fact that doctors administered the drug. Doctors at the clinic were also charged. He also took into consideration the fact that Lee Seung Yeon and Park Shi Yeon have young children to look after. Park Si Yeon gave birth to her first child this summer.