'Drug investigation pressure' claim: Baek Hae-ryong to release 5,400 pages of records tonight

A senior police superintendent, Baek Hae-ryong, who has alleged political pressure in a drug smuggling investigation, plans to release approximately 5,400 pages of investigation records on his personal blog. This move comes after a joint investigation team concluded that his allegations lacked substance.

Baek, who was dispatched to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office for three months to investigate alleged cover-ups of drug smuggling involving customs officials, claims he faced pressure from the highest levels of government. He has consistently maintained that his investigation into customs officials' alleged involvement in drug smuggling was obstructed by political interference.

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We plan to upload about 5,400 pages of 'drug gate' investigation records to my personal blog between 8 PM and 10 PM tonight.

A joint investigation team was formed in October last year following a directive from President Lee Jae-myung to look into these allegations. However, the investigation process itself was not without controversy. During his dispatch, Baek repeatedly released his own press releases containing investigation records and, upon returning to his post at Gangseo Police Station in January, took the case files produced by his team with him.

In February, the joint investigation team announced its findings, stating that Baek's claims regarding presidential office involvement and the prosecution's alleged cover-up were unfounded. Baek, however, disagreed with this conclusion. He engaged in a public dispute with Dongbu District Prosecutor Im Eun-jeong and, on March 20, announced his intention to release the full investigation records on his blog.

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It is a serious criminal act... (As Baek continues his release) public trust in state institutions plummets.

Concerns have been raised within the police force about the legality of removing and publicly disclosing investigation records. Lee Yoon-ho, an emeritus professor of police administration at Dongguk University, described such actions as a "serious criminal act" that damages the credibility of state institutions. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is currently conducting an internal review of Baek's conduct based on the prosecution's request for disciplinary action.

Baek's legal representative, however, argues that releasing the records serves the public interest by informing citizens. They state that the records have undergone anonymization and that the public's right to know outweighs concerns about potentially violating the principle of pre-trial disclosure of suspects' information. The intention, they claim, is for the public to directly assess and judge the case.

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The intention is for the public to directly assess and judge the records. We have anonymized the data... we believe the public interest in releasing the records is overwhelming.