Park Wang-yeol, 48, the so-called "drug king" who committed crimes including distributing drugs from the Philippines to Korea, was extradited to Korea on the 25th.
Park Wang-yeol boarded a passenger plane departing Angeles, Philippines, at 2:35 a.m. that day and arrived at Incheon International Airport at about 6:41 a.m.
Wearing a navy baseball cap, Park Wang-yeol exited the arrivals hall at about 7:16 a.m. Without a mask, his expressionless face and bushy beard were fully visible. Dozens of police and Ministry of Justice staff surrounded Park. He left the airport in a transport vehicle. He is to be transferred to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit.
In April 2022, Park Wang-yeol was sentenced by a Philippine court to a minimum of 52 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison for the "sugarcane field murder case" and had been serving time there. It is a case in which he killed three Korean business partners in his casino venture in 2016.
Even before incarceration, Park Wang-yeol was involved not only in the casino business but also in manufacturing drugs such as methamphetamine across Southeast Asia and smuggling them into Korea for sale. He was also known to have been involved in drug distribution while in custody.
President Lee Jae-myung asked the Philippines earlier this month to hand over Park Wang-yeol, and the Philippines decided on temporary extradition. In Korea, Park is expected to be indicted after being investigated by police and prosecutors on drug-related charges.