Police officer fell to death during drug-fueled birthday bash

Social Affairs

Published: 13 Sep. 2023, 18:50 Updated: 13 Sep. 2023, 19:34

Police officer fell to death during drug-fueled birthday bash

Three suspects who allegedly used drugs at an apartment building in Yongsan District, central Seoul, where a police officer fell to his death on Aug. 27, are escorted from the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Monday after attending arrest warrant hearings. [NEWS1]

The drug suspects at the apartment building in central Seoul where a police officer fell to his death last month were throwing a birthday party at the site.

According to police, the three major suspects planned the birthday party and purchased drugs two weeks before the event, which was hosted at a home in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Aug. 26.

A total of 21 people attended the party, including the police officer who died.

A senior police officer with Gangwon Provincial Police Agency fell from the 14th floor of the apartment building at around 5 a.m. the next morning, while the party was still ongoing.

The party attendees told the police they were having a gathering as members of a sports club. They also told the police that the police officer opened the window himself and fell out.

The attendees were from all walks of life, including doctors, personal trainers, university students and hair designers.

Five of the attendees, including the three major suspects identified by the Yongsan police, tested positive for drugs such as ketamine and meth. The remaining suspects await test results.

The three major suspects told the police that they came to know each other and became closer after hanging out at clubs and through a sports club.

The three are a 45-year-old tenant of the house in Yongsan identified by his surname Jeong, a 31-year-old employee at a Korean conglomerate identified by his surname Lee, and a 31-year-old personal trainer identified by his surname Kim.

The Seoul Western District Court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for both Jeong and Lee, judging them a risk to flee or destroy evidence, while dismissing the arrest warrant request for Kim.

Police said the three purchased drugs two weeks prior to the party at a club in Itaewon.

According to police, Lee brought four pills of ecstasy and two grams of ketamine in a zipper bag to the party.

He purchased the drugs in front of a bathroom at the club on Aug. 12 for around 800,000 won ($600).

In a forensic drug screening, Lee also tested positive for phencyclidine, or PCP, often referred to as angel dust.

The drug was developed as a surgical anesthetic but later banned for use due to extreme side effects such as suicidal thoughts and hallucinations.

The suspect told the police during the investigation that he had no idea what PCP was, but later admitted to its use during an arrest warrant hearing after the substance was found on a dish at the party site.

Jeong tested positive for ecstasy, ketamine and marijuana, while Lee tested positive for a substance similar to methcathinone.

According to the Narcotics Control Act in Korea, anyone who uses phencyclidine or methcathione faces at least a year in prison.

However, the three suspects told the police that all party attendees at the site, including the police officer who died, brought their own drugs and used them at the site.

Police are looking into the accusation as they found that the suspects told potential attendees through Telegram that there would be “something nice” at the party.

Police are also investigating the suspects' alleged concealment of evidence.

According to police, Jeong deleted Telegram from his phone and dropped the device into a toilet after removing the sim card.

Police have so far determined that 21 people were at the party based on CCTV footage and testimony.

Some of the suspects, including a doctor, deny they used drugs.

One of the 21 suspects is a foreigner who is believed to have left the country.

BY LEE YOUNG-KEUN,CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]