Alleged involvement of presidential office related to ties between drug gangs and customs officials must be investigated[Editorial]

Cho Ji-ho, a nominee for the National Police Agency chief, is closing his eyes during a confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly\'s Public Administration and Security Committee on July 29. Yonhap News

Police superintendent Baek Hae-ryong, who revealed last year that he was subjected to external pressure from top police officials while investigating suspected ties between drug gang members and customs officials at Incheon International Airport, testified at a confirmation hearing for Cho Ji-ho, a nominee for the National Police Agency chief, on July 29. When he was trying to announce the results of the investigation while serving as the chief of the Yeongdeungpo Police Station's Criminal Division 2, Chief Superintendent Mr. A ordered him to postpone it, citing the presidential office, and the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Life Safety Division, Cho Byung-no, also called him to remove the phrase related to the “Korea Customs Service” from the press release. Mr. A has been dispatched to the presidential office's self-governing administration secretary office and is on duty.

Baek's testimony is specific. Two days before the announcement of the results of the investigation in September last year, he said, Mr. A called him and told him that “’Yongsan (the presidential office)’ is well aware of the fact that customs officers were involved in a drug smuggling case” and ordered the postponement. Baek said, “The intention was that the presidential office was looking at the case very badly with disgust, and as soon as I heard about it, I felt like my head was going blank.” He added, “Cho also called me on October 5 last year and said ‘You're going to make sure no details of the case are divulged, right?’ and as I didn’t answer, then he said, ‘The Korea Customs Service and the police are both a state agency, so it could be seen as a fight between state agencies. It is like spitting in my face.’”

However, Mr. A and Cho deny the allegations. Then are they saying that Baek made up words appearing in the National Assembly? Cho was referred to the Central Disciplinary Committee of the Ministry of Personnel Management for this case, but it was disposed of unknowingly, and National Police Agency Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun took warning measures with his authority. Baek was demoted to the district chief of Gangseo Police Station.

Opposition parties said it could be a “second case of Marine Corps Corporal Chae.” The two cases share similarities, including orders to delay the announcement of the investigation results by the superiors, suspected involvement of the presidential office, and penalties for victims who revealed the fact about external pressure. The police office that former Black Pearl Investment CEO Lee Jong-ho, who is suspected of lobbying for saving former Marine Corps 1st Division commander Lim Sung-geun, mentioned as the subject of giving bribes for the special favor in a group chat room was Cho.

In a country where drug crimes are becoming increasingly serious, ties between drug gangs and customs officials are not something to be taken lightly. If the investigation had uncovered the truth, it would have been widely publicized and should have set off alarm bells in the public sector. But the situation went the other way around. In this way, who would fight drug crimes with his or her life? The case is being investigated by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on the complaint of Baek. The CIO must thoroughly investigate the allegations of external pressure and the involvement of the presidential office.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.