Lee Orders Thorough Investigation into Customs Drug Probe Allegations
Baek Haeryong, Who Raised the Allegations, Dispatched to Eastern District Prosecutors' Office
Handonghun: "Does Anyone Agree with the Delusion That Handonghun Covered It Up?"
As President Lee Jaemyung ordered the dispatch of Detective Baek Haeryong to the joint investigation team probing the so-called "customs drug investigation interference allegations," Handonghun, former leader of the People Power Party, delivered a sharp criticism toward President Lee and the prosecution. On the 14th, through social media, Handonghun stated, "President Lee, who has been the backer and guarantor of Baek Haeryong's delusion that Handonghun covered up a drug investigation, should not try to escape now by saying, 'Maybe I bit off more than I could chew.'"
Handonghun continued, "Where has the boldness of President Lee gone, who once insisted that Baek Haeryong, who has been claiming that Handonghun covered up a drug investigation, should be put in charge of the investigation? Why is he now unable to say a word? Seeing how things are unfolding, do you now think, 'This was a mistake'? But it is already too late. Not only is it a problem that the president himself was directly involved in a false and delusional smear campaign against an opposition politician, but it is also a serious illegality that the president directly intervened in an investigation by a frontline prosecutor."
Handonghun later posted again, pointing out, "It is reported that the prosecution, following President Lee's illegal investigation directive, will dispatch Mr. Baek Haeryong to the investigation team at the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office." He added, "Moreover, they say a separate investigation team will be created just for Mr. Baek Haeryong. Creating a separate investigation team for a single investigator is something I've never heard before-it's like a comedy." He went on to say, "If the president's instruction is illegal, the prosecution should refuse to comply. What are they doing? It's as if a special investigation team was created solely for Kim Daeup during the Byeongpung forgery case."
He further remarked, "I want to ask whether anyone agrees even 1% with Baek Haeryong's delusion that I exerted external pressure and covered up the drug case at Yeongdeungpo Police Station." He continued, "I heard the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office investigation team has booked 22 people. If they agreed with Baek Haeryong's delusion, I, as the central figure in that delusion, would have been booked as a suspect, wouldn't I?" He added, "I'm fine with it, so I hope they will disclose whether I have been booked as a suspect and what charges have been brought against me."
In October 2023, Detective Baek Haeryong of the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station investigation team claimed that he faced external pressure from higher police authorities while investigating the methamphetamine smuggling case involving a Malaysian drug organization. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the presidential spokesperson on the 12th, President Lee ordered a thorough and independent investigation into the customs drug investigation interference allegations, instructing that Detective Baek be dispatched to the joint investigation team, regardless of rank or position and without any sanctuary.
The allegations first surfaced around October 2023, when the investigation team at Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station was probing a methamphetamine smuggling case involving a Malaysian drug organization. At the time, Detective Baek, who was the head of the Criminal Division 2 and led the investigation team, claimed that he faced undue external pressure from higher police authorities.
On the 14th, the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Detective Baek is in the position of complainant or victim regarding the allegations of investigation interference and cover-up," and added, "Allowing him to investigate cases he has reported himself could raise concerns about fairness and present potential issues." The office further explained, "If Detective Baek is dispatched, respecting his wishes, a separate investigation team distinct from the existing joint team will be formed, and he will be assigned to cases in which he is not a victim, such as the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office's drug smuggling cover-up allegations."
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