S. Korea elite student club leader convicted of drug distribution

The man accused of distributing drugs to members of an elite inter-university student club has received a final 18-month prison sentence from the Supreme Court.

The defendant, a 32-year-old man surnamed Yeom, was convicted of purchasing and using several types of illegal drugs, including LSD, ketamine, ecstasy and methamphetamine, and distributing drugs among club members for about a year from late 2022, local media reported Sunday.

Yeom was arrested at a hotel in Seoul in December 2023 and indicted while in custody in July 2024. The Supreme Court convicted him in late 2024 of blackmailing a former girlfriend, and he is currently on trial on suspicion of attempting to smuggle drugs into a detention facility.

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READ: South Korea targets youth drug surge with new crackdown

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Campus club drug ring

Investigators uncovered a group of drug users involving students and graduates from 13 prestigious universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University, as well as a medical doctor.

Authorities said the group belonged to one of the country’s largest inter-university student clubs, with hundreds of members across Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. Members allegedly used drugs together at hotels, amusement parks and other locations.

Yeom, a Yonsei University graduate, allegedly recruited members by flaunting a luxurious lifestyle, including stays at high-end hotels, leased luxury cars and a spacious apartment that served as the group’s hangout. After building personal relationships with members, he allegedly encouraged them to try drugs.

Yeom is believed to have profited from drug sales and used the proceeds to finance the club’s activities.

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Reduced sentence

The 18-month prison term was ultimately based on the drug-related charges after other indictments were dismissed.

Yeom had also been indicted on charges of repeatedly assaulting a girlfriend who belonged to the club and threatening to distribute sexually explicit videos of her after suspecting she had been involved with another member of the group.

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The charges involving his girlfriend were dismissed because the court found they were outside the scope of prosecutors’ investigative authority.

READ: South Korea’s largely unnoticed but growing problem: Teen drug abuse

The Supreme Court also acquitted him of filing a false criminal complaint against a person suspected of laundering cryptocurrency proceeds who had attempted to report his drug use. The nature of the accusation was not disclosed.

As a result, Yeom’s sentence was reduced from three years to 18 months.

Other cases pending

Yeom remains involved in several separate criminal cases.

In December 2024, the Supreme Court finalized a separate four-year prison sentence for blackmailing another former girlfriend with sexually explicit images in 2021. He was convicted of threatening to distribute intimate photos and videos of the victim to her family.

“The defendant committed an especially reprehensible crime by threatening the victim with sexually explicit images and videos,” the Seoul High Court said in that case.

The court also found that he uploaded the images to X, seeking participants for group sex, and facilitated prostitution by providing location information and other details.

Separately, prosecutors indicted Yeom and three others in January on charges of attempting to smuggle LSD into Seoul Detention Center, which holds suspects awaiting trial, by concealing the drug beneath postage stamps attached to letters, according to local media reports.

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Authorities have not confirmed whether the drugs were successfully distributed or consumed inside the facilities. /dl