Seoul, March 25 (IANS) A South Korean national detained in the Philippines was temporarily repatriated to South Korea on Wednesday to face an investigation into alleged cross-border drug trafficking, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The convicted criminal, Park Wang-yeol, has been serving a 60-year prison sentence in the Philippines since 2022 for killing three South Koreans in 2016. The 48-year-old is also suspected of smuggling drugs into South Korea through accomplices via social media platforms and is known as a "drug kingpin" operating under the Telegram alias "Worldwide."

Park arrived at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, aboard an Asiana Airlines passenger flight at 6:34 a.m.

He was seen handcuffed and surrounded by dozens of police and justice ministry officials as he left the airport to be transferred to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police.

The repatriation comes about three weeks after President Lee Jae Myung requested Manila's cooperation during summit talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., following more than nine years of efforts by Seoul to secure his return.

"Park's repatriation demonstrates the government's firm commitment to ensuring that criminals hiding overseas are held accountable by all means," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.

Upon his arrival, slated for Wednesday morning, law enforcement authorities will immediately take Park into custody and launch a full-scale investigation into the drug trafficking allegations, according to a cross-border crime response task force.

Park is being brought to South Korea under the extradition treaty between the two countries, which allows for temporary repatriation for criminal proceedings by suspending trial or the execution of a sentence in the Philippines, Yonhap news agency reported.

"The government will thoroughly uncover all criminal activities committed by Park and ensure he is strictly punished by tracking down his accomplices and illicit proceeds to the end," Kang said.

The government will step up efforts to combat transnational crimes and strengthen international coordination in pursuing fugitives abroad, the spokesperson added.

--IANS

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