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Agency denies Yoo Ah-in has been cast in Jang Jae-hyun film, saying it 'has not been decided'

Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 19:24

Yoo Ah-in attends a first-instance sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Sept. 3, 2024. [NEWS1]

Actor Yoo Ah-in’s agency has denied claims that he will appear in director Jang Jae-hyun’s upcoming film “Vampire,” saying no decision has been made since the actor's conviction for drug use.

“Yoo Ah-in’s appearance in 'Vampire' has not been decided,” United Artists Agency said on Wednesday. “There are no confirmed plans for his return to acting.”

The agency's position comes after a Korean outlet reported earlier on Wednesday that Yoo had been cast in the film, scheduled to begin filming next year.

The film is described as a vampire thriller and is Jang’s latest project following “The Priests (2015),” “Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019)” and “Exhuma (2024).”

Jang and the production team reportedly offered Yoo a role, and that Yoo met with the director to discuss scheduling and casting details.

Yoo, whose legal name is Uhm Hong-sik, halted all acting activities following a high-profile drug scandal that led to a suspended prison sentence. In July, the Supreme Court sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years and fined him 2 million won ($1,350) after he was found guilty of illegally using propofol and marijuana.

Yoo was indicted for being administered propofol 181 times between 2020 and 2022 and illegally obtaining sleeping pills under other people’s names on 44 occasions between 2021 and 2022.

He was also accused of smoking marijuana at a Los Angeles residence in January 2023 and pressuring an acquaintance to join him after being filmed during the act.

Yoo debuted in 2003 in a TV commercial and is best known for his roles in the coming-of-age film “Punch” (2011), action blockbuster “Veteran” (2015) and Netflix series “Hellbound” (2021).

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 JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]