South Korean ‘drug lord’ extradited from the Philippines

2026-03-25 - 04:01

Park Wang-yeol (centre) arrives at Incheon International Airport in South Korea. (EPA Images pic) SEOUL: South Korean police on Wednesday took into custody an alleged “drug lord” accused of running a narcotics ring in the country from a Philippines prison, officials said on Wednesday. Park Wang-yeol, who was serving a 60-year term for triple homicide, was flown to South Korea on Wednesday on temporary extradition, after President Lee Jae Myung requested the handover to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at a summit meeting earlier this month. The temporary clause under a treaty between the two countries halts the sentence in the Philippines to allow the suspect to be investigated in South Korea, foreign and justice ministry officials in Seoul said. South Korean authorities have said Park, believed to be 47, operated a ring smuggling “large quantities” of narcotics and conspiring with accomplices in the country to distribute them. Justice ministry and police officials declined to comment on the scale or value of Park’s alleged drug trade. Some South Korean local media reported he had been distributing about 60 kilograms of methamphetamine a month with street value of 30 billion won (US$20 million). Illegal drug use in South Korea has steadily grown despite a tough anti-drugs policy and crackdown on illicit drug imports and sales. President Lee thanked Marcos for Park’s extradition. The foreign ministry said separately in a statement it is important to ensure Park is investigated and faces trial in South Korea so that his illegal activities while incarcerated abroad does not set a precedent for copycat crimes. Park had broken out of Philippines prison twice taking advantage of inadequate inmate supervision that allowed some prisoners to use smuggled mobile phones and continue illegal activities, Justice Ministry official Lee Ji-yeon and police official Yoo Seung-ryeol told a briefing. Philippine government officials could not be immediately reached for comment.