Park Bom of girl group 2NE1 accused fellow member Sandara Park of framing her as a drug user to cover up her own alleged drug controversy in a handwritten message posted on social media on Tuesday.

“I am writing this to share the truth with you,” Park Bom wrote.


“I’m being cautious in case this causes another uproar, but I feel troubled about the drug known as Adderall. It is not a narcotic. I am a patient with ADD [attention deficit disorder].”

Adderall is a psychotropic medication used to treat ADD and related conditions. While the medication is prescribed in the United States, having been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it is banned in Korea.

Its main ingredient, amphetamine, is known to improve concentration, leading to it being known as a “study drug.”

However, it is highly addictive and can cause a range of side effects, from relatively mild symptoms including headaches, nausea and vomiting to life-threatening conditions such as cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

Park previously stirred controversy in 2010 after importing Adderall into Korea via international mail without declaring it to customs or obtaining approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. At the time, prosecutors suspended the indictment after confirming that the medication had been prescribed for treatment purposes.

“Sandara Park was caught in a drug case and, to cover it up, made Park Bom into a drug addict,” Park Bom said in the letter, referring to herself in the third person. “I hope YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun-suk [the founder of YG Entertainment], Teddy [a music producer] and Lee Chae-rin [2NE1 member CL] will stop reporting to the authorities that Park Bom used more than the prescribed amount of a drug she has not taken in nearly 30 years.”

Responding to Park Bom’s claims, Sandara Park’s side told YTN Star that the allegations were “groundless.”

Park Bom has suspended activities since August last year due to health issues. At the time, her agency, D-Nation Entertainment, said, “As medical staff recently advised that she needs sufficient rest and stability, we have inevitably decided to halt her activities after thorough discussion.”


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]