Infamous Korean drug lord sentenced to 25 years in prison

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Infamous Korean drug lord sentenced to 25 years in prison

Published: 27 Nov. 2024, 18:29 Updated: 27 Nov. 2024, 18:58

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Police take custody of Kim Hyung-ryul, center left, one of Southeast Asia's most notorious Korean drug lords, in Vietnam in 2022. [NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY]

Kim Hyung-ryul, dubbed one of the three most infamous Korean drug lords of Southeast Asia, was sentenced to 25 years on charges of drug trafficking on Wednesday.

The Suwon District Court sentenced Kim, 49, to 25 years in prison for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. He must also complete 80 hours of drug rehab and forfeit 680 million won ($486,570).

Kim’s son, who was charged along with his father, was sentenced to five years. The prosecution demanded 40 years for Kim and 15 years for his son in September.

"The defendant appears to have been actively and decisively in charge of the criminal activities,” said the court. “Drug offenders are difficult to apprehend, and the hallucinogenic and addictive nature of drugs devastates individuals and has a significantly negative impact on society."

"We have comprehensively considered sentencing factors, including the crime duration, the quantity of drugs acquired, the amount of proceeds, and the degree of the defendant's involvement and motivation in the crime."

Drug lord Kim Hyung-rul, center, enters Incheon International Airport on July 19, 2022, after being sent back to Korea for drug trafficking charges. [YONHAP]

Kim, who went by the alias of “salagim,” was apprehended in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in 2022 after an investigation in cooperation with local police. The alias comes from the Telegram ID he used for his illegal operations.

Kim was extradited to Korea in July of the same year. At the time of arrest, Kim was wanted in 13 countries for trafficking 7-billion-won worth of drugs.

Kim was responsible for "dropping" drugs to lower-tier traffickers in strategic locations for delivery.

He is the last of the three big Korean drug lords of Southeast Asia to face a prison sentence.

Police search Kim's residence after the drug lord's arrest in 2022. [NEWS1]

Park “Worldwide” Wang-yul, 46, was apprehended in October 2020 in the Philippines. As with Kim, the alias comes from the Telegram ID he used for drug trafficking.

Park was charged with killing three South Koreans in a sugar cane field in the Philippines and imprisoned in the country in 2016 but broke out of prison twice. After his second jail break in 2019, Park established himself as a drug trafficker in 2020, functioning as the Southeast Asian connection for South Korean drug dealers.

The operation Park was involved in — dubbed the "Vatican Kingdom Group" — became infamous when Hwang Ha-na, former fiancee of K-pop star Park Yu-chun and granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy, was caught using drugs she purchased from the scheme.

After being apprehended in 2020 by local police, Park was given a 60-year prison sentence and is currently serving time in the Philippines.

Sword found in Kim's residence during the drug lord's arrest in Vietnam in 2022 [NEWS1]

Choi Jung-ok, 37, was arrested in Cambodia in 2022 and sent back to South Korea in April of the same year. A North Korean defector, she acted as the Chinese connection that trafficked North Korean-made drugs that were later sold in the South Korean market.

Choi was initially arrested for drug use in South Korea in 2016 and imprisoned in the Uijeongbu Correctional Institution in Gyeonggi. She began to establish business relationships with other criminals in prison and later grew her network across Southeast Asia, working with the other drug lords.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]