"Who Ordered It?" Clash at Drug Investigation Pressure Hearing "Government Smear Campaign"

Chairman Shin Jeong-hoon "Are People Power Party Trying to Cause Chaos?"

At the 'Customs Drug Investigation External Pressure Allegation Hearing,' the ruling party claimed the allegations were baseless, while the opposition raised the possibility of intervention by the Presidential Office.

Chief Inspector Baek Haeryong (former head of the Criminal Division at Yeongdeungpo Police Station)
[Photo by Kim Hyunmin]

On the 20th, Jo Eun-hee, the ruling party whip of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, stated, "The Democratic Party of Korea held a futile hearing, claiming that an invisible hand exerted external pressure," adding, "The essence is not external pressure but a superior's opinion that there was no evidence involving customs, so the briefing needed to be handled cautiously."

Jeong Dong-man, a member of the ruling People Power Party, criticized, "The National Assembly is abusing its authority with a government-bashing hearing and indiscriminate witness selection," and said, "They are holding a hearing based on baseless allegations. If the allegations are not true, those who led the hearing, including the chairperson of the Administrative Safety Committee, must take responsibility."

Yoon Geon-young, the opposition whip from the Democratic Party, emphasized, "Through the hearing, we must uncover who was responsible for the external pressure on the drug investigation and where the pressure was instigated and directed," adding, "The investigation team leader at the time reportedly heard the word 'Yongsan' during a phone call with Kim Chan-soo, former chief of Yeongdeungpo Police Station."

Chae Hyun-il, a Democratic Party lawmaker, pointed out, "When allegations of customs involvement arose during the drug distribution investigation, the situation changed rapidly," and said, "The Korea Customs Service tried to change the direction of the briefing and press release. This is a clear case of investigation interference."

Shin Jeong-hoon, chairperson of the Administrative Safety Committee, asked questions to verify the facts, prompting strong protests from ruling party lawmakers. Chairperson Shin said, "Is the People Power Party trying to cause a disruption?" and added, "As the moderator, I am only making minimal remarks."

The external pressure allegation in this investigation arose from an incident last January when the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul detected that Malaysian drug syndicate members were smuggling methamphetamine into the country through Incheon Airport with the assistance of customs officers who helped them pass through security checkpoints. Baek Hae-ryong, a police superintendent and former head of the Yeongdeungpo Police Station Criminal Division, revealed that before a media briefing related to the case, he received external pressure from Cho Byung-no, a police commissioner and former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Community Safety Department, to "remove the Korea Customs Service from the press release." Commissioner Cho denies any external pressure.

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