January 27, 2023 11:37
Several heirs to Korean business fortunes and other elite figures are among 17 people indicted for using and distributing marijuana, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Thursday.
The indictments were the result of an investigation following the arrest of a 39-year-old dealer who was nabbed last September. When prosecutors searched his home, they turned up text messages, money transfer records and other evidence implicating the privileged young people.
Nine people were already indicted last year, including the Namyang Dairy founder's grandson, the managing director of a former Hyosung Group affiliate, and an heir to JB Financial Holding Company.
This week saw the indictment of a grandson of the Kiswire founder, a son of a former National Police Agency commissioner, and the head of a talent management agency.
On the wanted list are three other suspects, including a grandson of the founder of Hanil Synthetic Fiber, who fled to the U.S.
Four of the suspects confessed in exchange for a plea bargain.
Most of the suspects had acquired the habit while studying in the U.S., where marijuana use is more or less legal. A police spokesman said, "Most of them gained access to the drugs on social media."
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