South Korean singer-rapper Psy has become the focus of a police investigation over allegations that he violated the Medical Service Act by receiving prescribed psychotropic medicines without seeing the physician in person.

KBS has learned that the 47-year-old artist, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, and the university medical professor who allegedly prescribed the drugs are under investigation by the Seoul Seodaemun Police Station.

The investigators suspect that from 2022 until recently, Park received Xanax and Stilnox, which are often prescribed for insomnia, anxiety and depression, from a general hospital in Seoul without visiting, instead having his staff pick up the medicines for him.

The police apparently raided the hospital recently to obtain relevant medical records, as the current law stipulates that only medical professors can write prescriptions for the drugs involved after examining the patient face-to-face and as medicines cannot be given out to third parties.

While the doctor reportedly claims to have conducted remote consultations, Psy’s management firm, P Nation, issued a statement to apologize for causing public concern.

The agency told KBS that the artist continued to receive the drugs via remote consultation even after the COVID-19 pandemic ended, saying there was an element of complacency, and admitted that having a third party pick up the medicines was a mistake.