SHINee's Key. [Newsis]
SHINee's Key. [Newsis]

SHINee member Key and YouTuber Ipjjalbeun Haetnim were questioned by police last month over allegations that they received illegal medical procedures from a woman known as the "injection auntie," sources said.

The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul summoned Key and Ipjjalbeun Haetnim — whose real name is Kim Mi-gyeong — for questioning starting in early July to determine whether they had received illegal procedures from a non-licensed practitioner identified only by her surname Lee, according to Yonhap.

Lee has been under investigation on suspicion of administering intravenous drips and prescribing antidepressants to broadcaster Park Na-rae and others without a valid medical license in South Korea, operating out of officetels and vehicles.

She earned the nickname "injection auntie" for making house calls to celebrities and social media influencers.

Police have been investigating since late last year whether Key and other entertainers, including Park, were involved in receiving illegal procedures from Lee.

Investigators conducted a search and seizure at Lee's home and other locations earlier this year and summoned Park for questioning in May.

After questioning Park, police pressed Key and Ipjjalbeun Haetnim on whether they knew Lee was not a licensed medical professional.

Under current law, an unlicensed practitioner who performs medical procedures faces criminal punishment. Recipients may also be charged as accomplices if they knowingly and actively sought out the illegal services.

When the allegations surfaced, Park, Key and Ipjjalbeun Haetnim each said they had believed Lee was a licensed doctor and suspended their public activities in December last year. Key resumed activities in June, roughly six months after the controversy broke.


min3654@heraldcorp.com