Professors Lee Deok Hee, Kim Yong Jae, and Choi Hee Yeon held a press conference at Ewha Woman’s University Mokdong Hospital about T.O.P’s condition, and Koreaboo has translated their statements.

Summary of Events:

Blood Pressure: 144/108 (Hypertension)
Heart Rate: 128 (Abnormal).

1. T.O.P was carried to the hospital by 3 people.
2. He was not responsive when he was brought in and only responded by flinching to strong forms of stimuli to his limbs.
3. His urine tests showed that he had overdosed on benzodiazepine, a drug used to fight anxiety.
4. Tests cannot reveal if he took other drugs, such as the antidepressant he was previously prescribed.
5. He was sent to the ICU because of the high level of carbon dioxide in his blood stream, which could have possibly resulted in brain damage within a matter of minutes.
6. He has still not fully recovered and is currently unconscious.
7. He is being kept in the ICU in order to make sure that his condition does not worsen.
8. On average, a healthy person who does not suffer from any other illnesses takes around a week or two to recover from such a state.
9. We do not know who gave the police statement yesterday, but the carbon dioxide levels in his blood were at a dangerous level.

The Full Press Conference Translated

T.O.P was brought into the hospital carried by 3 of his companions. One of them was holding his upper body and the other 2 were holding his lower body.

The hospital stated that he was in a state of stupor and deep drowsiness, and only responded to very strong shocks.

He opened his eyes when subjected to high levels of shock, but he was not able to sustain focus or give proper responses for over ten seconds.

His blood pressure and heartbeat were both extremely high. Upon testing, doctors found that his bloodstream was low on oxygen but high in carbon dioxide.

He was sent to the Intensive Care Unit at 4:50 PM. Although the carbon dioxide level in his blood has since decreased, he is still in a state of unconsciousness.

What Drug T.O.P Overdosed On

T.O.P has still not recovered and is currently unconscious. The sedative he took, Benzodiazepine, is prescribed to fight anxiety.

“Benzodiazepine is a type of tranquilizer. Familiar names include Valium and Xanax. Doctors prescribe benzodiazepine medicines to treat anxiety, muscle spasms, sleep disorders, and seizures. Benzodiazepines can be habit-forming and are sometimes used illegally. Frequent or high-dosage use of benzodiazepines can lead to abnormal behavior (such as aggression and hostility) and to dependence on the drug.” — Kaiser Permanente Health 

Note: This definition was not part of the Press Conference, but included by @Koreaboo.

It is proper procedure to watch patients who suffer from the side effects of Benzodiazepine at the ICU to make sure they do not suffer from additional symptoms from having high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood stream.

As far as we can tell, he has not gone into this state, but he is still at a stage where a careful eye must be kept on him. This may have caused some confusion, but we will release details in an official report.

T.O.P’s Current Health & Blood Condition

We cannot say exactly how many pills were ingested for [T.O.P] to be in this condition, but we can say he took a lot of pills. He is in a very bad state of consciousness and his blood condition is bad as well.

Although we cannot guarantee how long it will take [for T.O.P] to recover, on average, a healthy person who does not have any other illnesses takes around a week or two to recover.

He is still not breathing properly, but is slowly recovering. We plan to treat him psychologically following standard procedure, but are unable to at the moment due to his unresponsive state.

Besides the benzodiazepine, he is also prescribed to other anti-depressants, but none were identifiable through urine tests.

What Will Happen To T.O.P Next, According To His Doctors

We do not know who gave the police the statement yesterday, but the carbon dioxide levels in his blood were extremely high and at a very dangerous level.

We continued to run tests on him, and although he had not significantly improved, he was gradually coming down to the point that we did not have to take drastic measures.

Not being responsive is a highly alarming situation in a patient, but even someone being very drunk is described as not 100% conscious. Medically, both are sound to describe the situations at hand. We will be more exact with a more concise report to be released afterward.

Source: Koreaboo

By Chang Dong-woo

SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) — Contrary to his stage name T.O.P, Choi Seung-hyun, member of the popular K-pop boy band BIGBANG, hit the rock bottom of his successful 10-year-plus career this week.

He has been indicted on charges of smoking marijuana and his military service that began in February was put on hold pending an investigation. On top of that, the 29-year-old was hospitalized on Tuesday for an apparent overdose of tranquilizing pills that he has been taking for medical reasons.

The incident, in the simplest terms, can be perceived as a case of personal misconduct by a young artist. But misdemeanors by top-tier celebrities, with BIGBANG being one of the biggest names in today’s K-pop scene, are never that simple.

In T.O.P’s case, the incident speaks not only of the conduct of the artist but also the risk management capability, or a lack thereof, of YG. The company, one of South Korea’s top talent agencies and music labels, has been dragged into its third reported substance abuse scandal involving one of its artists.

In 2011, BIGBANG member G-Dragon was found to have illegally smoked marijuana but was released without being indicted after he admitted to using it and only minuscule traces were found in his hair.

G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, initially denied that he had smoked weed, but later admitted to unknowingly smoking marijuana at a club in Japan in May of that year while touring the country.

“I smoked a cigarette that a random Japanese guy gave to me in a Japanese club. I suspected it to be marijuana since it smelled different, but I smoked it anyway,” G-Dragon was then quoted by the prosecutors as saying during the interrogation.

In T.O.P’s case, YG is again clearly struggling in revealing a clear flow of information. Police said Tuesday T.O.P wasn’t in “critical condition,” but his mother disputed the police account, claiming he was in much worse condition.

“The condition of my son is quite bad. It’s been misreported after (the police) announced that my boy, who is almost dying, was not fully awake from tranquilizers,” T.O.P’s mother said.

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Source: Yonhap News

In the midst of a torrent of conflicting reports regarding T.O.P’s recent hospitalization, which was reportedly due to an overdose of prescription tranquilizers, T.O.P’s physician will be holding a briefing at 4 p.m. KST on June 7 to shed more light on the current situation, according to YTN.

Previous reports — from the police, the hospital, and T.O.P’s mother — have varied on their accounts of what happened.

While some police stated that T.O.P was not unconscious, but simply assisted inside when he arrived at the hospital, T.O.P’s mother stated to news outlets on June 7 that this isn’t true. She said T.O.P was unconscious when he got to the hospital, and, “T.O.P has yet to regain consciousness; please refrain from reporting that ‘he is just sleeping.’ In a situation where we don’t know what will happen, these types or reports are just painful.”

Stay tuned for more information from the briefing to be held at 4 p.m. KST.

Source (1) (2) via Soompi

SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) — The family of T.O.P, a member of South Korean boy band BIGBANG who was hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose, on Wednesday disputed an earlier police account of the singer’s health, claiming he was in much worse condition.

“The condition of my son is quite bad. It’s been misreported after (the police) announced that my boy, who is almost dying, was not fully awake from tranquilizers,” T.O.P’s mother told reporters while sobbing at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul.

The mother, who was clearly distressed, was also seen telling a nearby police official, “He was clearly unconscious when moved to the hospital. The doctor confirmed it.”

The 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, was hospitalized Tuesday and is currently receiving treatment at an intensive care unit. YG first reported that Choi was found unconscious, but police later denied that he was in critical condition.

A representative at YG Entertainment said, “The mother was very angry at the police report. T.O.P is currently unconscious and relying on a respirator. She’s flabbergasted by the police report that said he was ‘in a state of sleep’ when hospitalized.”

Police said Tuesday that T.O.P appeared to have overdosed on tranquilizers that he has been taking for medical reasons. An official said that Choi wasn’t in “critical condition” and said he is just sleeping since the medication contained sleeping pill ingredients.

The incident occurred just a day after he was indicted without detention on charges of smoking marijuana. Seoul prosecutors on Wednesday announced that Choi is suspected of smoking the banned substance four times with a 21-year-old would-be singer, only identified by her surname Han, at his home in Seoul in October last year.

Choi has been serving his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman since February. He had worked at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul but was transferred to a different police corps in eastern Seoul following his indictment.

His military service period will be put on hold until a court reaches a verdict. If he receives a jail term of 18 months or more, he will be dishonorably discharged from the service.

South Korean singer and actor T.O.P. of boy band BIGBANG, who is serving his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman, leaves his workplace in Seoul surrounded by reporters questioning his marijuana charges on June, 5, 2017. (Yonhap)

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Source: Yonhap

T.O.P’s family is disputing police reports that said the star is “asleep” under the influence of drugs he took.

On Wednesday morning, T.O.P’s mother teared up in front of the reporters gathered at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, where T.O.P is hospitalized.

She told the reporters, “My son is in bad shape. It’s as if he is dying. Police told the media that he’s drowsy from sleeping pills but that’s misinforming the public.”

“He was brought to the hospital unconscious. The doctor has confirmed this,” added T.O.P’s mother, who was seen speaking to the police.

According to YG Entertainment. T.O.P’s family is very upset that the police announced T.O.P is “asleep.” The family said that he is actually unconscious and wearing an oxygen mask.

Visiting T.O.P at the hospital is restricted and only a few family members are staying by his side.

A YG Entertainment representative told a local media outlet, “Even if he awakens, we are not sure if he had his oxygen cut off when he was first found unconscious.”

On the previous day, police claimed it was false information that T.O.P was unconscious.

Police announced Tuesday that “according to the doctor’s statement, T.O.P is not in a critical condition, but he is asleep as the drug he took had sleep inducing effects.”

“It will take a day or two for the drug to wear out and afterward, T.O.P will have no trouble going back to his normal life,” they added.

T.O.P was indicted Monday under charges of smoking marijuana. He was found Tuesday showing symptoms similar to a drug overdose inside the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Yangcheon-gu.

Since February, T.O.P has been carrying out his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman. He had been stationed at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul, but was transferred to a different police corps following his indictment.

T.O.P leaves Ganganam Police Station on Monday. (Yonhap)

By Lim Jeong-yeo (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Source: KPop Herald

T.O.P’s mother has finally spoken out about T.O.P’s condition, stating that he’s in extremely critical condition and “close to dying”.

T.O.P’s Mother Shares First Real Update On His Condition

T.O.P’s mother has angrily refuted all claim that T.O.P is simply “sleeping”, begging Korean media to stop releasing false info. She tearfully requested that they stop claiming that T.O.P is conscious or doing well.

“My son is still unconscious and to read articles that say he’s “deep in sleep” is hurtful. Please edit and refrain from saying such things. We don’t know how things will turn out. My son is in critical condition. I see my son dying but I also see reports saying he’s just sleeping. Isn’t that wrongful reporting?” — T.O.P’s Mother

She continued on to reveal heartbreaking details about the condition of T.O.P. In her statement, she announced that T.O.P is nearly close to dying and is currently being assisted by a breathing device to receive oxygen.

“Due to the lack of oxygen, he may have possible brain damage.” — T.O.P’s Mother

YG Entertainment also released a statement, after T.O.P’s mother. Their statement also shares the same anger as hers, re-confirming that only his family and closer relatives are with him.

“When T.O.P’s mother saw the police quote she was furious. T.O.P is currently wearing an oxygen mask and he is unconscious. Visitation rights are restricted and only close relatives are looking over him.” — YG Entertainment

False Korean Sources From “Police Insider”

As Koreaboo reported, multiple Korean media outlets have been citing an anonymous “police source”, claiming that T.O.P is awake and conscious. These claims were not cited, and therefore not written on Koreaboo.

Some reports have even gone further to cite these sources as saying T.O.P was never in serious condition and was never unconscious.

These same anonymous “police sources” have also claimed that the reason T.O.P is in the intensive care unit is simply for privacy and not for the seriousness of his condition. 

MyDaily: Police “BIGBANG T.O.P all tests normal..did not lose consciousness” [Official]

“Reports that he is unconscious are not true, he is in a state of deep sleep due to sleep-inducing substances in his sedatives and the test results on his blood, urine, and CT all came back normal and the family has been notified.”

Seoul News: BIGBANG T.O.P assumed to have overdosed… Police “Did not lose consciousness, was responsive”

“T.O.P was responsive when pinched and called by his name he wasn’t carried when he was being transported to the hospital but someone was supporting him out.” When asked why it took so long for him to get to the hospital they stated, ‘He was snoring and mumbling so we were trying to be considerate thinking that he was tired.’

When someone pointed out that they may not have been keeping a careful eye on him they stated, ‘He didn’t get this drug spontaneously he has been prescribed to it normally and one commanding officer and one regular officer has been keeping an eye on him in case he tried to do something extreme.’ “

Source: Koreaboo