'Police Officer Fall Death' Yongsan Group Drug Organizers Sentenced to Prison in First Trial

Drug Supplier Sentenced to 5 Years Imprisonment
Attendees of the Gathering Also Receive Prison Terms

Two individuals who were prosecuted for leading a drug gathering at an apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where an active-duty police officer fell to his death, were sentenced to prison terms in the first trial.

Three associates who attended a drug meeting together with an active-duty police officer were questioned by the press after completing a warrant hearing at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu last September, following the officer's fall death at an apartment in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Bae Seong-jung) sentenced Lee and Jung, who were prosecuted for violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), to five years and four years in prison, respectively, on the 7th. They were also ordered to complete a 40-hour drug addiction rehabilitation program and fined 760,000 won each.

The court stated, "The defendants claimed they had no intent to purchase, possess, or provide drugs, but it is believed that they were fully aware of the possibility that various types of drugs could be introduced during the preparation of the gathering," adding, "The defendants bear significant culpability as they caused the spread of narcotics."

Furthermore, the court explained the sentencing rationale: "Lee supplied drugs to this gathering, and even considering his lack of prior convictions, it is difficult for him to avoid a prison sentence," and "Jung, another organizer, committed a similar crime shortly after being punished for a previous offense, making a prison sentence unavoidable."

They were indicted for providing narcotics and the venue for drug use to about 20 participants at a drug gathering on the 14th floor of a residential-commercial complex apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on August 27 last year, and for using ketamine and ecstasy. Jung provided the venue, while Lee was identified as the drug supplier. The drug gathering suspicion arose after A, a police officer from Gangwon Provincial Police Agency who was present, fell to his death. It was confirmed that a total of 25 people, including Officer A, were gathered at the scene.

Other attendees of the gathering were also sentenced to prison terms that day. B and C, who were charged with using narcotics, were each sentenced to two years and six months in prison, while D and E received one year and six months in prison with a three-year probation. The court also ordered them to complete a 40-hour drug addiction rehabilitation program.

The court stated that B received a heavier sentence because he was given probation for a similar crime in 2019, and C was sentenced more severely because he hosted the gathering. D and E were given probation because they had no prior criminal records and were involved in simple drug use offenses.

Earlier, the prosecution requested prison terms of eight years and seven years for the organizers Lee and Jung, respectively, and three to six years for the four attendees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.