South Korea has temporarily repatriated Park Wang-yeol, a convicted drug kingpin serving time in the Philippines, on Wednesday. The move followed President Lee Jae Myung's direct request during a summit, breaking a nine-year deadlock.
South Korea repatriated Park Wang-yeol, a 48-year-old convicted murderer and suspected drug kingpin, from the Philippines on Wednesday morning. Cheong Wa Dae announced the temporary extradition, which ended more than nine years of stalled proceedings. Park arrived at Incheon International Airport west of Seoul at 6:34 a.m. aboard an Asiana Airlines flight. Handcuffed and surrounded by dozens of police and justice ministry officials, he was transferred to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated in a written briefing, “The government swiftly repatriated Park, known as ‘Worldwide,’ early this morning.” She added, “This outcome reflects the president’s strong commitment and diplomatic endeavors to combat cross-border crime,” crediting summit diplomacy with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 3 in Manila. Park was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2022 for murdering three South Koreans in a Philippine sugarcane field in October 2016. He escaped jail twice before recapture and allegedly continued large-scale drug trafficking to South Korea via Telegram under the alias 'Worldwide' while enjoying luxuries in prison. The Ministry of Justice requested extradition in 2018, but it was put on hold. Under the Korea-Philippines extradition treaty, temporary repatriation allows suspending his Philippine sentence for Korean proceedings. President Lee Jae Myung posted on X, thanking Marcos for cooperation and vowing to “track down anyone who harms the Korean people to the end of the Earth.” Authorities plan to investigate Park's full criminal activities, accomplices, and illicit proceeds. Kang emphasized, “The government will continue a zero-tolerance policy toward transnational crime and strengthen international cooperation.”
