G-Dragon tests negative in hair drug testing, pending test result on nails

G-Dragon of K-pop group BIGBANG tested negative in a detailed narcotics analysis on his hair sample conducted by the National Forensic Service, officials said Monday.

The National Forensic Service recently notified the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency of the negative drug test result but said the analysis on the singer’s fingernails and toenails has yet to be confirmed.

G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, was booked on Oct. 25 over allegations of illegal drug use and later banned from leaving the country.

The police conducted a brief reagent test on the singer during his first questioning on Nov. 6, which came out negative. They sent a sample of his hair and nails to the National Forensic Service for a more detailed analysis.

Drug users test positive if they use narcotics five or ten days before the test, but it is hard to get an accurate result in the case of drug use long before.

A narcotics analysis on a hair sample can verify whether a person took drugs within a year, depending on the length of the hair, and the drug testing on nails can detect drug use by up to five or six months prior to testing.

The police plan to continue the investigations to secure other evidence against the singer, while waiting for the remaining drug test results.

In 2011, G-Dragon was probed for drugs after he admitted to smoking marijuana but said he was unaware of the substance he had consumed. Prosecutors then dropped the case.