The identity of Park Wang-yeol, who was temporarily extradited to South Korea on charges of directing drug distribution while serving time in a Philippine prison, was officially disclosed on the 27th.
The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency held a personal information disclosure review committee meeting that afternoon and released the name, age, and mug shot of suspect Park Wang-yeol (47), who was arrested in connection with the case.
"The committee decided on 'disclosure' at the meeting held at 4 p.m. that day, and the suspect raised no objection," the committee said in announcing the decision to release Park's identity.
Police posted Park's personal information on the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency website after confirming the issuance of an arrest warrant. His information will remain posted until April 27.
Investigative authorities had previously referred to Park Wang-yeol by aliases such as "Drug Kingpin Worldwide" and "Park OO" in press releases and briefings. However, his face was fully exposed during live media coverage of the extradition process.
Questions over the effectiveness of the disclosure arose, as his real name and face had already been revealed by Philippine local media and South Korean news outlets in the past.
Park was temporarily extradited on the 25th of this month and is under investigation by the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency. He is accused of distributing large quantities of drugs to South Korea while serving a prison sentence in the Philippines for the murder of three Korean nationals.
Police have previously arrested 42 accomplices linked to Park Wang-yeol, including 29 distributors, 10 suppliers, two smugglers, and one financial manager. Including 194 simple buyers, the total number of arrests stands at 236, of whom 42 remain in custody.
The group allegedly distributed drugs using a so-called "drop" method, hiding narcotics in fire hydrant boxes or mailboxes and then sending location information to buyers.
The scale of distribution identified so far includes approximately 4.9 kilograms of methamphetamine, around 4,500 ecstasy tablets, 2 kilograms of ketamine, 19 tabs of LSD, and 3.99 grams of cannabis, with the total estimated street value at approximately 3 billion won ($2.2 million).
The Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province issued an arrest warrant for Park on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, citing "risk of evidence destruction and flight."
Having secured custody of Park, police plan to investigate additional offenses related to violations of the Narcotics Control Act during the detention period.
