Police say first-quarter drug arrests rose 26% year on year, vowing a firm response to drug crimes

\r\n
[The Financial News] Police said the number of people arrested for drug offenses in the first quarter of this year rose sharply from a year earlier.
At a regular press briefing held on the 11th at the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Sung-joo Park, commissioner of the National Office of Investigation, said, "Since last year, police have been carrying out intensive crackdowns on drugs with the goal of blocking major distribution channels and transaction funds." He added, "In the first quarter of this year, the number of arrests rose 26% from a year earlier, and the arrest rate for online drug offenders also increased 48%."
Police recently brought Park Wang-yeol, the so-called "drug lord," back to Korea. They also forcibly repatriated a man in his 50s, identified only by the surname Choi, who is believed to have been one of Park's suppliers. During questioning, Choi reportedly admitted his connection to Park after being shown related evidence.
Park said, "We have secured evidence proving Choi's ties to Park Wang-yeol," and explained, "Once we presented the evidence we had secured, he also admitted it." He added that Choi had acknowledged charges related to 2 kg of ketamine and 3,000 tablets of MDMA.
Police said they will continue tracking overseas drug suppliers while responding forcefully to drug crimes. Park said, "We are making meaningful progress in international joint investigations into transnational drug crimes, including tracing and preserving about 6 billion won in criminal proceeds linked to Park Wang-yeol and others." He added, "Drug crimes destroy both the present and the future, so we will respond strictly and decisively to keep them from taking root in our society."
Police also said they will strengthen visible policing to prevent crimes driven by irrational motives, following a recent incident in Gwangju in which a high school student was killed in a so-called random murder.
Park said, "We view crimes driven by irrational motives and violent crimes with the utmost seriousness." He added, "We will deploy not only local police but also violent crime investigators to visible preventive activities, and when an incident occurs, we will send criminal analysts to conduct an in-depth analysis of the motive and other factors so we can prepare for crimes that may happen in the future."
Police also said that if necessary, they will deploy the Metropolitan Criminal Investigation Unit of the Provincial Police Agency even when an incident occurs at a local police station.
Park emphasized, "We will also actively consider releasing suspect information and maximize police activity so that the public can live their daily lives with peace of mind."
welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter