Former Prosecutor Warns of Dangers After Investigating Prestigious University Drug Group

Lawyer Lee Young-hoon has warned of the dangers of drug use, drawing on his experience investigating a drug ring involving students at a prestigious university. Lee, born in 1989, graduated from the Police University with a degree in law and later earned a law degree from Seoul National University's Graduate School of Law. He served as a prosecutor for approximately 10 years, handling various cases at institutions including the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

He pointed to the current reality where searching for 'LSD purchase' on portal sites yields numerous Telegram IDs and drugs can be acquired within 30 minutes, emphasizing that South Korea is no longer a drug-free nation.

The organized drug use and distribution case involving a joint club, which presented itself as being from a 'prestigious university' that he previously handled, was a major issue that shook university campuses at the time. The group went beyond simple drug use and established an organized distribution network. They jointly purchased drugs using a 'drop' method, sending cryptocurrency to Telegram drug dealers via cryptocurrency launderers and receiving the hidden locations of the drugs. They also engaged in retail sales to club members for payment. In preparation for investigations, they accessed Telegram channels to share information on how to evade drug probes and destroy evidence, and installed forensic deletion applications to avoid detection.

The suspicious operations of a university club, known as 'Kkanbu' and ranked second nationally in member numbers, were first flagged in relation to the experience of an individual identified as Shin. Shin applied after seeing a recruitment post for the 'Kkanbu' club on a university community forum in 2023. While he felt a sense of validation from the notice stating that appearance, wealth, and personality would be evaluated during the document screening, he detected an unusual atmosphere during the subsequent interview, where all interviewers were male and questions focused on topics like 'How well do you party?' and 'What's your drinking capacity?'. The phrase 'Safe club operation through the club's first external legal counsel system' also gave him pause, leading him to abandon the registration. He had assumed that university students wouldn't get involved in legal disputes but was shocked to later see SNS photos of the club reported in the news that were identical to the place where he had his interview.

A, the president of the 'Prestigious University Student Drug Club,' was sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial on charges including violations of the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances, cannabis). Drug use by other club members was also confirmed. Some individuals involved only in simple drug use, with no prior record and low risk of recidivism, received suspended indictments.

Investigating the full scope of these incidents, Lawyer Lee Young-hoon made it clear that once someone touches drugs, the consequences can be irreversible. He noted the extreme difficulty of quitting drugs because they provide the most potent dopamine rush and expressed concern over the prevalent misconception that 'drugs are cool.' He analyzed that drug offenders don't merely tolerate the severity or inadequacy of punishments but fall into criminal activity due to a lack of awareness of the risks involved. He added that their meticulousness extends to preparing for investigations, evidenced by the existence of joint drug purchases and even 'external legal counsel' among drug offenders.

He stressed the importance of raising societal awareness before drug problems spread further in Korean society. He concluded the interview with a warning that drugs cross an uncompromisable moral red line, and the moment that line is crossed, all that remains is drugs.