Son of former Gyeonggi governor arrested for meth

Social Affairs

Published: 02 Apr. 2023, 15:32

Son of former Gyeonggi governor arrested for meth

The 32-year-old eldest son of former Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil, center, leaves a police station in Yongin, Gyeonggi, Saturday. A Suwon court later issued an arrest warrant for Nam, who is accused of taking methamphetamine. [NEWS1]

A local court issued an arrest warrant Saturday for the eldest son of former Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil for allegedly taking methamphetamine.

This comes just five days after the younger Nam, 32, was detained for another drug charge.

Suwon District Court issued the arrest warrant, calling Nam a flight risk.

Nam is suspected of taking meth at an apartment in Bundang in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on March 30.

Nam's family members were at the house and reported him to the police at around 5:40 p.m. Police rushed to the scene and immediately arrested Nam.

Meth residue was detected in syringes collected by the police at the scene, and tests of Nam's hair and urine samples also came out positive.

On March 23, Nam was arrested by police after allegedly taking meth at his apartment in Giheung in Yongin, Gyeonggi, following a report from a family member. He was later released after the court rejected an arrest warrant.

In January, while receiving drug-related treatment at Bugok National Hospital in South Gyeongsang, Nam voluntarily confessed to police that he took fentanyl.

That case was recently referred to prosecutors.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine but over 50 times more potent.

Former Gyeonggi Gov. Nam previously gave a public apology in 2017 after his eldest son was detained for smuggling and taking meth several times in his residence in Beijing, China and Gangnam, southern Seoul.

He was sentenced to three years in prison and four years of probation.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]