'Drug Use and Smuggling' Park Ji-won, Former NIS Director's Son-in-Law, Receives Suspended Sentence in First Trial

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The eldest son-in-law of former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jiwon was prosecuted for smuggling and personally using narcotics, and was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

On the morning of the 27th, the Criminal Division 24 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Jo Yongrae) sentenced A (46), the eldest son-in-law of former Director Park, who was indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act, to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 4-year suspension and ordered a fine of 300,000 won. The court also ordered probation and completion of a 40-hour drug addiction recidivism prevention education program.

The court criticized, "The defendant's narcotics smuggling crime has a high possibility of causing additional crimes, and the nature of the crime is serious as he proposed drug use to accomplices," adding, "He was an executive of a large corporation at the time and, as a social leader, should have set an example for others, but he betrayed that expectation."

The court also rejected A’s claim that he "did not know there were drugs in the bag upon entering the country." The court stated, "After proposing drug use to an acquaintance, he used drugs together and distributed the remaining narcotics free of charge," and ruled, "It is difficult to accept this as the act of someone who realized the illegal act belatedly."

However, the court took into account mitigating factors such as the small quantity of imported narcotics, the apparent lack of intent to distribute them on the market, the fact that drug use occurred only once, his pledge not to reoffend, and that he is a first-time offender.

A, who was a director at Samsung Electronics, was prosecuted for smuggling ecstasy and marijuana into Korea from Seattle, USA, in May 2019, and for smoking marijuana and using ecstasy twice in July and August of the same year. He resigned from Samsung during the first trial.

B (30, female), who was indicted for using and smoking drugs together with A at a motel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison and was taken into custody in court on the same day. B was also indicted on other drug-related charges besides using drugs with A.

During the trial, A admitted to the charges of smoking marijuana but denied intent to smuggle drugs. In his final statement, A pleaded for leniency, saying, "I should have immediately discarded the drugs when I found them by mistake, but I deeply regret giving them to others or using them." B also said, "I will not repeat the same mistake and will live serving society."