In connection with allegations of involvement in drug smuggling at customs, Incheon Airport Customs Headquarters employees who were cleared of charges filed a complaint against Police Superintendent Baek Hae-ryong, who raised the allegations.
According to legal sources on the 6th, the victimized employees of Korea Customs Service Incheon Airport Headquarters Customs submitted a complaint to prosecutors the previous day against Superintendent Baek on charges including disclosure of criminal facts and defamation.
In 2023, while serving as chief of the criminal division at the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, Superintendent Baek has alleged that customs employees colluded with a Malaysian national drug smuggler to smuggle more than 100 kg of drugs and that improper external pressure was exerted during the investigation from the presidential office and others.
Accordingly, on Oct. last year, at the direction of President Lee Jae-myung, Superintendent Baek was dispatched to the joint investigation team at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, but clashed with prosecutors over the scope of the investigation and authority.
After conducting an investigation into the related allegations, the joint investigation team concluded on the 26th of last month that the allegations of customs employees' involvement in drug smuggling were groundless and closed the case after about eight months.
At the time, the joint investigation team concluded that it was "baseless allegations created by misunderstandings about the customs quarantine system and lies by the smugglers," adding that they "fell into confirmation bias, relied on false statements, and recklessly raised suspicions, causing social confusion."
The National Public Officials Labor Union Korea Customs Service Branch also held a press conference at Incheon Airport on the 4th, saying, "Seven employees who were investigated for three years for drug smuggling charges, including search and seizure and account tracing, were branded as criminals, and their families and daily lives were seriously damaged due to the burden of massive attorney expenses," and argued, "The relevant agencies should issue an official apology, and Superintendent Baek must take responsibility for this."