According to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, the main suspect is a man in his 30s, who operates a social club for students with around 300 members. The postgraduate student at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) organized the club in 2021. He is accused of selling drugs to them.
The suspects allegedly purchased and used illegal drugs more than ten times since December 2022.
Prosecutors said that the club leader will face additional charges of blackmailing his girlfriend with illegally recorded sex tapes, assaulting her multiple times, and falsely accusing a cryptocurrency launderer who tried to report the drug trafficking to authorities.
The leader allegedly used profits from drug sales to host extravagant parties at top hotels, attracting students from prestigious schools like Seoul National University and Korea University, rapidly growing the club's membership.
Prosecutors believe the leader initially had no intention of drug trafficking but later devised a business model to profit from the sale of high-priced psychoactive substances.
Authorities have frozen his cryptocurrency wallet after discovering he purchased drugs worth 12 million won ($8,766) and have seized all illegal profits.
"We will do our best to ensure that severe sentences are handed down to the suspects. We will also make every effort to help university students overcome drug addiction through tailored rehabilitation and treatment, allowing them to return to society quickly," a prosecutor said in a statement.
Meanwhile, KAIST issued a statement distancing itself from the drug scandal. "We are deeply shocked and feel a strong sense of responsibility regarding the revelation that one of our students was involved in the spread of drugs. However, the club under investigation is not an on-campus club registered at KAIST."
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