A nurse assistant in her 20s was arrested in Seoul's Gangnam-gu after being caught injecting herself with propofol on her very first day at a dermatology clinic.

The use of high-risk prescription drugs such as propofol and ADHD medications is climbing rapidly in South Korea, raising concerns over misuse and side effects, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 21.1 million people were prescribed narcotic-class drugs in 2025, rising steadily from 18.84 million in 2021, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The total number of prescriptions reached 1.96 billion last year, marking a 7.1 percent increase over the four-year period. Under the

The death of anesthesiologist Alejandro Zalazar has initiated an investigation into an alleged network involved in the continuous theft and use of sedatives like propofol and midazolam.

A man in his 30s died after going into cardiac arrest during cosmetic sedation at a beauty clinic in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, with police referring a doctor to prosecutors in connection with an alleged propofol overdose.

A scandal involving anesthesiologists stealing propofol and fentanyl from hospitals for group drug use and parties, known as 'Propo Fest,' has led to two deaths and exposed an organized elite.