Written by by, JI Park, CNN
K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink tested positive for the date-rape drug tainted aphrodisiac plant licorice during a recent SANA Asian Games trip to Myanmar.
Licorice is used to spike alcohol and can suppress the body’s immune system by inhibiting immune system proteins that play a role in inhibiting the absorption of narcotics, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
K-pop star Lisa of Blackpink tests positive for licorice, which is thought to contain the active ingredient in ketamine, via Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Credit: By SAAGU KIM/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Licorice is sold in 14 different types, and is often used as a sexual stimulant. Ketamine is the active ingredient in the strain of licorice used by K-pop star Kim Jin-sun.
Kim Jin-sun is a K-pop sensation with a global fanbase. He was a collaborator with legendary hip-hop artist LL Cool J on a track called “Together in Time.” He is credited with introducing K-pop to K-pop fans in the States
K-pop star Kim Jin-sun performs in Pyongyang. Credit: YONHAP/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Back in February, Kim Jin-sun was in North Korea with the K-pop band BLACKPINK, whose members include one-half of one of K-pop’s biggest boy bands, Red Velvet. On February 17th, Kim Jin-sun was photographed in Pyongyang. It’s unclear if the infamous DANDOR act – DPRK for dandruff – was in attendance.
In Seoul, on March 21st, authorities conducted an inspection of K-pop stars’ vehicles and found “abnormal” amounts of licorice juice. Kim Jin-sun – AKA Kim Yuna – was also in a vehicle with licorice, and identified the strain of licorice as “English licorice.”
Licorice was also a factor in the death of rapper XXXTentacion in June 2017, when the 19-year-old was involved in a car accident involving the death of the driver, 21-year-old R-infinity. The perpetrator was arrested in September 2017.