Leader of University Drug Ring 'Kkanbu' Receives Final 18-Month Prison Sentence

The leader of a drug ring formed primarily by students from major private universities in the Seoul metropolitan area has had his 18-month prison sentence finalized by the Supreme Court.

On June 5, the Second Division of the Supreme Court (Justice Kwon Young-joon presiding) upheld the lower court's ruling, which sentenced a 32-year-old man surnamed Yeom to one year and six months in prison on charges including violations of the Narcotics Control Act, special injury, and illegal filming under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes.

Yeom was indicted in July of last year on charges of leading the "Kkanbu" club—a coalition formed mainly by students from 13 prestigious universities in the capital region—and distributing and using drugs collectively for about a year starting in late 2022.

Yeom also faced charges of assaulting his girlfriend, whom he met in the club, on multiple occasions for "associating with other male members," threatening to distribute videos of their sexual encounters, and filing a false accusation against a cryptocurrency launderer who intended to report the drug distribution and usage.

The first trial found Yeom guilty of drug-related charges and other offenses, sentencing him to three years in prison, ordering the forfeiture of 13.426 million won, and requiring him to complete 40 hours each of a drug addiction rehabilitation program and a sexual violence treatment program.

The court, however, acquitted him of the charge of filing a false accusation.

In the second trial, the court dismissed the charges of special injury and violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, which had been upheld in the first trial, and reduced his sentence to one year and six months.

The court reasoned that these charges were not directly related to the drug crimes, meaning the prosecutor did not have the authority to initiate an investigation into them.

The second trial court pointed out, "It does not appear that the investigating prosecutor naturally became aware of these crimes while reviewing records or collecting additional evidence as the trial prosecutor for the preceding case."

However, the second trial upheld the first trial's decision regarding the remaining charges, including violations of the Narcotics Control Act.

The court also dismissed the prosecution's appeal regarding the acquittal on the false accusation charge.

Both the prosecution and Yeom appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court rejected the appeals, finding no errors in the lower court's judgment.

Separately, Yeom has already received a final four-year prison sentence in a different case for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (threatening to use filmed materials).

(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.