Whistleblower Baek Issues Third Statement, Says Prosecutors Never Asked How Smugglers Passed Through Airport

Police Superintendent Baek Hae-ryong, who has raised allegations of customs involvement in drug smuggling, issued his third official statement targeting the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office joint investigation team that cleared officials of charges. He claims prosecutors never investigated how the smugglers actually passed through the airport.

In his statement released Wednesday, Baek said, "Prosecutors never once asked how the drug smugglers passed through the airport," adding that "nowhere in the interim investigation results is there any explanation of how the methamphetamine got through the airport."

He claimed, "In 2023, Korea's airports were not breached—they were opened," and that authorities "abandoned the duty of protecting borders, security, and the lives and safety of citizens."

This marks the third time Baek has issued an official statement since the joint investigation team announced its interim findings. He said, "Prosecutors who are drug investigation experts failed to even secure basic CCTV footage," adding that "there is no explanation because they covered it up without investigating the process."

Baek also noted that "since Korea's airports were established, there has never been a case of more than 1 kilogram of methamphetamine being smuggled in by attaching it to the body or hiding it inside wooden cutting boards." He cited the fact that 36 Malaysian drug couriers entered the country through customs at Incheon and Gimhae airports.

Regarding his decision to release a draft of the on-site verification report despite potential privacy law violations, Baek explained it was "an unavoidable measure to correct the distortion of facts by the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office and the joint investigation team, which edited portions of the on-site investigation and verification footage." He demanded the full release of the on-site verification footage.

Baek also revealed that during a private meeting with Seoul Eastern District Chief Prosecutor Im Eun-jung, he was told something to the effect that she "knew nothing" about the relevant matters. The Eastern District Prosecutors' Office had previously sent an official letter to the National Police Agency's inspection division on the 10th after Baek released the draft verification report, requesting "appropriate measures" citing violations of public information rules and potential privacy infringement.