The joint investigation team (JIT) from the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, in collaboration with the police, which had been looking into accusations of outside influence in the customs drug case reported by Senior Superintendent Baek Hae-ryong, has recently finished its inquiry, finding the allegations without merit. Meanwhile, a verbal conflict between Baek and Prosecutor General Lim Eun-jeong has intensified.
On the morning of the 27th, Baek shared on Facebook, “I call on Prosecutor General Lim Eun-jeong to consider if she has the ability to investigate and lead junior prosecutors and investigative staff without being influenced by them.”
Previously, on the 26th, the JIT rejected all claims made by Baek—such as involvement in customs drug smuggling, exerting external pressure on police and customs investigations, and the participation of the former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Office—as unfounded. The JIT employed phrases like ‘evidence tampering’ and ‘pre-determined response’ (a term indicating the answer is already decided) to characterize Baek’s inquiry. The 14 people involved, including former Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon and customs officials, were not charged.
Baek disagreed with the JIT’s conclusions on that day. He stated, “Documents surpassing 5,000 pages strengthen the proof backing the accusations,” and “Prosecutors, who don’t have investigative skills, simply take the reports given to them as truth.” He further mentioned, “They are unable to challenge the evidence and continue with childish reasoning, asserting that I was tricked by the statements from Malaysian criminal groups. I once more urge them to stop pretending to know and step aside if they are not informed.”
However, the JIT mentioned that no evidence supporting the suspects’ allegations was discovered. They expressed disapproval of Baek, stating, “He ignored clear conflicting evidence found during the initial phase of the investigation and moved forward with a preconceived outcome that customs officers were involved.” They described the investigation as an “unlawful ‘answer-first’ approach involving tampering with evidence and ignoring statements and data that contradicted the pre-established conclusion.” The JIT also informed the National Police Agency about disciplinary measures taken against Baek due to problems in his investigative procedures.
Following the JIT’s announcement, Prosecutor General Lim publicly criticized Baek’s approach on her Facebook page, saying, “It is essentially the same as the special investigative techniques of the prosecution that have been widely criticized.” On the allegations, she mentioned, “The actions of the customs officers were not personal mistakes or criminal acts,” and “In the process of portraying the issue as individual corruption by customs officers, there were personal deviations such as the police’s ‘pre-determined answers’ investigation and manipulation of public opinion.” Baek replied, “Reading Prosecutor General Lim’s Facebook post left me feeling hopeless.”
After resuming his role as head of the Hwagok Police Substation on the 14th of last month, following his assignment with the JIT, Baek is accused of disclosing around 5,000 pages of investigation documents. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is currently carrying out an inquiry. Disclosing confidential investigation information may lead to termination or being removed from position. Customs officers, who were investigated for two years due to Baek’s claims, stated to this newspaper, “We are getting ready to take legal actions against Baek.”
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