A Showdown in the Justice System
Okay, so you know how in K-dramas there’s always intense drama between the police and the prosecutors? Well, it’s happening in real life right now, and it is *messy*. The two main characters in this real-life saga are Baek Hae-ryong, a police superintendent, and Lim Eun-jeong, the Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul Eastern District Office. They’re part of a special joint team looking into a super serious case involving alleged pressure and cover-ups in a drug investigation at a customs office. [4, 8]
The whole thing exploded when news broke that the investigation team was thinking about ending Baek’s assignment and sending him back to the police force. [4, 15] Instead of taking it quietly, Baek went straight to Facebook and aired everything out.
Why Are They Trying to Oust Him?
This isn’t just a simple workplace dispute. Superintendent Baek is basically the whistleblower in this whole ‘customs drug investigation’ scandal. He was the one who raised the alarm, which makes his position on the team complicated. There’s been a ton of friction between Baek and the rest of the team, which is led by Chief Prosecutor Lim. [13, 15] They’ve openly clashed over things like the team clearing some customs officials of wrongdoing and rejecting search warrants that Baek requested.
When Baek heard they might be kicking him out, he claimed it was a deliberate move to “shut his mouth and tie his hands” so he couldn’t get to the bottom of the case. [14, 15]
He Dropped the Receipts!
This is where it gets really dramatic. To back up his claims, Baek posted screenshots of his private Telegram conversations with Chief Prosecutor Lim Eun-jeong. [8, 14] The messages reveal a major disagreement about his role. Lim basically tells him that since he’s the accuser and a key witness, he can’t also be the lead investigator. On the other hand, Baek fires back, claiming the whole joint team was set up as a sham and that even the top prosecution offices are targets of his investigation.
Why This Is Such a Big Deal
For context, the police and the prosecution in Korea have a long history of rivalry and power struggles. For a police officer to publicly challenge a chief prosecutor and leak their private DMs is almost unheard of. It’s a huge deal that exposes the deep cracks and internal conflicts within Korea’s justice system. Baek claims this is a calculated plot to bury a major ‘drug gate’ scandal, while Lim’s side argues they’re just following procedure. Whatever the truth is, this public fight is giving everyone a front-row seat to the drama, and it doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon.
