A South Korean man convicted of killing three Koreans in the Philippines and accused of running a major drug distribution network while behind bars had plotted to escape prison by flying over its walls while suspended from a heavy-duty drone, according to a report aired Monday.
Park Wang-yeol, 47, devised the plan shortly before he was temporarily transferred to South Korea in March, local broadcaster JTBC reported.
The plan called for Park to strap himself to a large drone capable of carrying up to 75 kilograms and fly over the walls of the Philippine prison where he was being held. Ultimately, the plan was abandoned after footage showing one of Park’s associates testing the drone surfaced in local media.
Park had been serving a lengthy prison sentence in the Philippines for the 2016 killings of three South Koreans. A Philippine court sentenced him in 2022 to 52 to 60 years in prison.
Despite his incarceration, Korean authorities allege that Park continued directing the distribution of illegal drugs into South Korea using mobile phones from prison.
He was temporarily transferred to Korea on March 25 after years of efforts by Korean authorities to secure custody. President Lee Jae Myung had personally asked Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cooperate with Korea’s request for Park’s temporary surrender.
Failed escape plan leaves Park with W100m bill
According to JTBC, Park’s initial escape plan did not involve a drone.
He first planned to have members of his organization attack a prison transport vehicle while he was being moved between facilities and had already obtained weapons for the operation, the report said.
Park later abandoned that idea in favor of a more elaborate escape.
“A prison escape by someone like me should be on this scale,” Park was quoted as saying.
His associates then carried out tests to determine whether the drone could carry a person. Footage filmed in the Philippines showed a man strapped beneath a large drone being lifted several meters into the air before falling into a body of water.
“The prison in the Philippines does not jam radio signals, so flying a drone is not difficult,” an inmate who was incarcerated with Park told JTBC.
The plan unraveled after local media reported on the test footage in March. Park’s prison transfer schedule was subsequently changed, leading him to abandon the escape attempt, according to the report.
Park is believed to have spent about 100 million won ($74,000) preparing the operation.
Park had previously escaped from Philippine detention facilities in 2017 and 2019.
The inmate interviewed by JTBC also claimed Park had enjoyed preferential treatment while imprisoned in the Philippines.
According to the inmate, Park paid about 6 million won a month in exchange for privileges including a private living space, air conditioning, a television and access to a mobile phone.
Future of Park investigation uncertain
Park was brought to Korea several weeks after the alleged drone escape plan fell apart.
He is currently standing trial on charges of directing the smuggling and distribution of drugs in Korea while incarcerated in the Philippines.
However, his continued presence in Korea is not guaranteed.
Park was handed over by the Philippine government under a temporary surrender arrangement rather than permanently extradited. The arrangement allows Korean authorities to keep him for about 10 months, meaning he could be required to return to the Philippines early next year unless authorities secure permission to keep him in Korea in connection with additional alleged offenses.
Korean investigators are seeking to expand the case against Park while he remains in the country.
The future of that investigative structure, however, has become uncertain as the joint government drug investigation unit pursuing related cases is set to dissolve as part of the government’s broader overhaul of the prosecution system and its investigative powers.
At his first court hearing in May, Park denied allegations that he had participated in smuggling drugs into Korea but admitted to charges relating to their domestic sale, concealment and management.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
