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Alleged Korean drug lord smuggled, distributed $8.7 million in narcotics, police say

Published: 03 Apr. 2026, 17:44

Park Wang-yeol is repatriated through Incheon International Airport on March 25. [YONHAP]

Police on Friday referred Park Wang-yeol to prosecutors while he remained in custody, accusing him of drug smuggling and domestic distribution worth about 13.1 billion won ($8.7 million).

The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said Park faces several charges, including organizing a criminal organization.

Park is accused of smuggling or attempting to distribute 17.7 kilograms (39 pounds) of narcotics, including 12.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, worth about 6.3 billion won from November 2019 to August 2024.

"This amount only reflects drugs that were intercepted before they reached final sale," a police official said.

An additional 6.8 billion won in proceeds is believed to have already been earned through sales, according to police account analysis.

The police believe that Park, who had been serving time for killing three Koreans in a sugarcane field in the Philippines in 2016, escaped from prison in October 2019. While on the run from the authorities, he learned he could make money by smuggling drugs to Korea from overseas.

Seized coffee packets containing methamphetamine [GYEONGGI BUKBU PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY]

After learning basic knowledge about drugs and how to sell and distribute them from an associate known as "Sarah Kim," whom he met in a Philippine prison, Park allegedly built an organization using Telegram.

Along with its main Telegram channel "Worldwide," the group allegedly operated subordinate sales channels such as "Grace Angel," "Ice Sea," "Hawaii" and "Vatican Kingdom." The group allegedly posted advertisements for narcotics and sold them through one-on-one chats with buyers. It reportedly used the so-called "throwing" method, in which drugs are hidden in a designated location and the buyer is sent the coordinates.

Park’s group also allegedly smuggled 12.3 kilograms of narcotics into Korea in six separate cases from the Philippines, Mexico and Vietnam through international cargo shipments and so-called "carriers" who physically delivered the drugs. In the smuggling process, the group is also accused of mobilizing a person with an intellectual disability.

Park allegedly acted as the ringleader, speaking with buyers on Telegram, determining the type and price of drugs, and sending photos of drop-off locations. He is believed to have placed a domestic sales chief known as "Cheongdam," whom he knew from prison in the Philippines, in charge of receiving, managing, hiding and selling drugs in Korea, as well as handling proceeds.

A message sent by a member of the drug organization reporting drug sales to Park Wang-yeol [GYEONGGI BUKBU PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY]

As the operation grew, he also allegedly employed 11 mid-level dealers. Among the members, four were believed to have been responsible for account management, while the operator of an unregistered virtual asset business was allegedly recruited to handle cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals.

To prevent the serial arrest of members, Park allegedly did not allow them to come into direct contact with one another. Beginning in 2024, he is suspected of having cut ties with his existing accomplices and brought drugs into Korea through a figure known as "White Whale," believed to be his nephew. The nephew is wanted by the Korean police and is currently being held in a detention center in the Philippines.

In the early stages of the operation, the group allegedly received funds through transfers into bank accounts under borrowed names, but later switched to cryptocurrency payments, such as bitcoin. Police identified 2,099 bank transactions worth about 940 million won. The cryptocurrency volume totaled 547 transactions, totaling 57.5 bitcoin, worth about 5.85 billion won at current prices.

Police also plan to analyze transaction records involving another 94.6 bitcoin suspected of being linked to the case. Authorities plan to work with related agencies, including the Financial Services Commission, Korea Customs Service, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and National Intelligence Service, to uncover additional crimes committed by Park.

Park was temporarily extradited on March 25 and investigated by the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. The Uijeongbu District Court issued a detention warrant for Park last Friday, citing concerns that he could destroy evidence or flee. The police committee on disclosure of personal information decided the same day to reveal his identity.

Park Wang-yeol leaves the Uijeongbu District Court in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, on March 27. [NEWS1]

Police also said Park used methamphetamine while imprisoned in the Philippines before being repatriated to Korea. During questioning, Park reportedly said that he had "smoked methamphetamine once or twice a month for more than a year while in prison in the Philippines."

Police identified 29 sellers, 10 suppliers, two smugglers and one money manager as Park’s alleged accomplices. Including 194 alleged buyers, a total of 236 people have been apprehended in connection with the case. Of those, 42 are currently in detention.

The government had spent about nine years trying to secure Park’s repatriation. Park was temporarily returned to Korea about three weeks after President Lee Jae Myung requested the criminal suspect's extradition during a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 3.

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 JEON ICK-JIN, CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]