The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office has decided to form a separate investigation team if Superintendent Baek Haeryong is dispatched to the investigative team according to President Lee Jaemyung’s directive.
On the 14th, the Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office announced to the media, “If Superintendent Baek, who is either the accuser or victim in cases involving allegations of investigative interference or cover-up, were to conduct a ‘self-investigation’ into cases he himself reported, it could raise concerns about the fairness of the investigation and create potential problems.”
The office added, “If Superintendent Baek is dispatched, we will respect his wishes by forming a separate investigation team distinct from the existing joint team, and assign him to cases in which he is not a victim, such as the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office’s narcotics smuggling case cover-up allegations, in order to minimize controversy.”
The previous day, Superintendent Baek reportedly stated that he would not join the investigation team, declaring, “The joint police-prosecution task force is an illegal organization.”
The customs narcotics investigation interference allegations date back to January 2023, during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, when police obtained testimony implicating Incheon customs officials in a methamphetamine smuggling case. It is alleged that senior officials from the presidential office, police, and Korea Customs Service exerted pressure to cover up the case.
The Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office plans to continue the investigation without changing the members of the existing joint team, which was launched through the cooperation of government agencies including the prosecution, police, National Tax Service, and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
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