The president used the money earned from selling drugs to throw lavish parties at luxury hotels to attract students. SEOUL - Dozens of university students were recently arrested for using and trafficking illegal drugs within a social club comprising hundreds of members, raising a red flag in what was once known as a drug-free country. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office arrested four university students, including the club’s president, and charged two others with violating drug laws on Aug 5.
Eight college students were granted deferred prosecution under conditions of drug addiction treatment. The club president is also accused of assaulting his girlfriend multiple times, threatening to film and distribute sex videos, and falsely accusing a cryptocurrency launderer who tried to report him of buying and selling drugs. Investigation revealed that the president, a student pursuing a master’s degree at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), formed the club in 2021.
He had previously graduated from Yonsei University. He invited affluent university students to join the club, saying that they would be able to use luxury cars and hotels, and enter music festivals for free or at low prices. The president used the money earned from selling drugs to throw lavish parties at luxury hotels to attract students, and the number of club members grew to 300 within a short period of time.
The club reportedly comprised of students from 13 universities in Seoul, many of which were from prestigious universities such as the Seoul National University and Korea University. There were also individuals preparing to enter medical and law schools. The president conducted interviews personally, selecting members based on their physical appearance, school and family background.
based their acceptance on looks, what school they went to and even their family background. He also prepared an apartment in Seoul to act as a hideout. In December 2022, the president allegedly began to engage in group drug activities in earnest.
He first offered members liquid cannabis, then offered ketamine, crystal meth and psilocybin – more commonly known as ecstasy and magic mushrooms. The club members are accused of taking drugs en masse at hotels, clubs and amusement parks, more than 10 times. The president also invited the male members to a luxury hotel suite, where they mingled with sex workers and had group sex while taking drugs.
The group even carried LSD, a psychotropic drug, in their carry-on luggage to Thailand, Jeju, and other countries to enjoy drugs. The group started of as a social club but later became a full-fledged drug distribution organisation, prosecutors said. The president and executives of the club jointly purchased drugs from dealers on messaging platform Telegram for about 100,000 won (S$97) each.
They would then sell the drugs to their club members at a markup of 150,000 to 200,000 won per piece. The president bought more than US$12 million (S$15.9 million) worth of drugs in virtual currency last year alone, but prosecutors believe the amount of drugs traded in hard-to-trace direct deposit cash and laundered coins is likely to be much bigger.
Members of the club told prosecutors that the president would control them by filming them in the act of taking drugs and using the footage to blackmail them. He would also isolate group members to prevent them from sharing information. Prosecutors are considering to apply the criminal organisation law, given the possibility that they were linked to large drug organisations outside the country.
The social club is believed to meet the criteria to be classified as a criminal organisation as it had a structure which included a presidency and various departments. It also distributed tasks, created a form of disciplined and organised events such as an orientation. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
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