Sara Kim, Notorious Drug Trafficker, Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

Sara Kim, known as one of the 'Three Drug Lords of Southeast Asia,' has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Suwon High Court, maintaining the original sentence from the first trial. On July 9, the court also mandated that Kim, 51, complete 80 hours of drug rehabilitation and pay a fine of approximately 690 million won for violating laws related to aggravated crimes.

Kim was implicated in a drug trafficking network alongside Park, known as the 'Telegram Drug King,' and Choi, a North Korean defector who smuggled drugs from Cambodia into South Korea. He is believed to have been the mastermind behind the supply of drugs to both Park and Choi.

Residing in Vietnam since 2018, Kim is accused of supplying drugs to South Korea until 2021. Investigations revealed that he used Telegram to conduct transactions with domestic suppliers, selling methamphetamine and synthetic cannabis, and even using drugs himself. Authorities estimate that Kim supplied enough drugs for around 100,000 users, valued at approximately 7 billion won. He was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2022 and subsequently deported to South Korea.

During the appeal, the court noted the severity of Kim's actions, considering the methods, duration, frequency, and quantity of drugs involved, as well as the illegal profits made. However, the court acquitted him of a specific charge related to injecting methamphetamine into an acquaintance's ankle, citing a lack of credible evidence.

Additionally, Kim's son, who was initially sentenced to five years for assisting his father, was found not guilty. The court acknowledged that the son claimed he was unaware of the drugs in the package he transported and that there was no evidence of communication regarding drug trafficking between him and his father prior to the package's arrival in South Korea.