YouTuber with 700K subscribers admits to proxy prescription scandal: 'That's me, I'm sorry'

BJ Kay (36, real name Park Jung-gyu), a YouTuber with 700,000 subscribers, has acknowledged being the person at the center of a proxy prescription case involving sleeping pills, confirming he was investigated by police.

During a live broadcast Thursday, Kay said, "There's a news article out about a proxy prescription for sleeping pills — that's me," adding that he had been questioned by police in connection with the case.

He then apologized, saying, "I'm sorry for causing this kind of problem. I cooperated fully with the investigation and now just need to wait for the results." He added, however, that he is currently receiving prescriptions through normal channels.

Earlier reports had revealed that a YouTuber with 700,000 subscribers had been booked by police on charges of obtaining sleeping pills through a proxy prescription.

At the time, the suspect was identified only as someone who had begun streaming in 2012 and was active across major online broadcasting platforms. Kay's identity was confirmed after he came forward himself during the live broadcast.

According to Seoul's Gangnam Police Station, Kay is suspected of having an acquaintance obtain a prescription for sleeping pills — classified as a psychotropic drug — on his behalf, then receiving and taking the medication.

Police received a report on the case in mid-June and, after about a month of preliminary investigation, booked Kay without detention on July 30. Investigators plan to determine what medications were obtained through the acquaintance and whether Kay actually took them.

Under current medical law, proxy prescriptions are permitted only in limited circumstances, such as when a patient is unconscious or has severe difficulty moving. If the drug obtained through a proxy prescription is a psychotropic substance such as zolpidem, the case could also be investigated for potential violations of the Narcotics Control Act.