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Chun Woo-won, the grandson of Chun Doo-hwan, speaks to the press after arriving at Incheon International Airport on the morning of March 28 after having been arrested by police over suspicions of illegal substance use. (Yonhap)

Police have arrested the grandson of late dictator Chun Doo-hwan at Incheon International Airport on charges of illegal drug use.

On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's narcotics investigation unit announced it had arrested Chun Woo-won, 27, who landed at 5:58 am that morning, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act.

The police arrested Chun based on posts he made on social media explicitly stating he had taken drugs before as well as his apparent use of illicit substances while livestreaming himself on YouTube.

On Monday afternoon, the Seoul Central District Court issued a search and seizure warrant and an arrest warrant for Chun. After the arrest, police plan on taking Chun to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Mapo office and conducting drug tests on him.

After he was arrested, Chun met briefly with reporters at the airport, saying, “I am very grateful to the public for giving a sinner like me the opportunity to come to Korea and apologize.”

Chun then apologized for causing an inconvenience and expressed his intention to cooperate with the police investigation and to apologize to the victims of the 1980 massacre of civilians in Gwangju as soon as possible after being questioned.

Regarding his alleged drug use, Chun said, “I showed everything on [YouTube and Instagram] so that I couldn’t avoid [paying for] my sins. All the hospital records in the US have records of my drug use, so this can be confirmed.”

As to why he wants to apologize to the families who lost loved ones in the bloody suppression of the Gwangju May 18 Democratization Movement, Chun explained, “I am a sinner. As much as my life is precious, the lives of all these people are also precious. Although I am alive now, they are not here. I carry this sin.”

Since Chun was immediately arrested upon his arrival in Korea, his promise to go to Gwangju as soon as he landed to apologize to the victims has been delayed.

“If I am not immediately arrested by a government agency, I will unpack my luggage and then I would like to go to the May 18 Memorial Cultural Center to apologize to the bereaved families and to all who suffered psychologically as a result of this incident,” Chun said on Instagram on Sunday.

Since March 14, Chun has been revealing through Instagram and Youtube his family’s luxurious lifestyles funded by secret assets while also exposing their criminal activities. He revealed the identities of his acquaintances who he alleged used illegal drugs and solicited prostitution. The police are reportedly investigating two people for illegal drug use in Korea related to Chun’s claims.

By Chai Yoon-tae, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]