BuCor says no South Korean drug lord escaped via drone

A heavy-duty drone carries an associate of South Korean drug lord Park Wang-yeol over a body of water in footage filmed in March 2026.

Screenshot from JTBC News

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has ruled out the possibility of inmates escaping from penal facilities using unmanned aerial vehicles.

In a statement on Thursday, Sept. 17, BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. addressed media inquiries regarding the alleged drone escapes, following reports from South Korean media alleging that an incarcerated South Korean drug lord, convicted killer Park Wang-yeol, had plotted to fly over prison walls suspended from a heavy-duty drone.

Catapang stressed that correctional facilities under the bureau are strictly designated as no-fly zones.

"All our Operating Prison and Penal Farms are no fly zones, and we have watch towers manned 24/7 which immediately alert our guards if there will be attempts to scape through drones aside from maingay ang drone at equipped naman ang ating facilities ng mga CCTV, so we can detect it at once," Catapang said.

(All of our Operating Prison and Penal Farms are no-fly zones, and we have watchtowers manned 24/7 that immediately alert our guards to any drone-assisted escape attempts. Besides, drones are noisy and our facilities are equipped with CCTVs, so we can detect them at once.)

Catapang emphasized that the audible hum of drone motors, particularly at low altitudes necessary to pick up a payload or passenger, would instantly alert personnel stationed at watchtowers and security perimeters.

In addition, extensive CCTV coverage across prison grounds, buildings, and outer perimeters allows command centers to track and intercept suspicious aerial activity in real time.

While acknowledging growing global concerns over commercially available drones being used to drop contraband or conduct unauthorized surveillance near detention facilities, Catapang maintained that using a drone to execute a physical escape has no chance of success.

"Any drone spotted within or near a facility could be recorded and tracked, enabling authorities to respond quickly," Catapang said.

Meanwhile, in a press conference on Thursday, Department of Justice Undersecretary Ian Dato said the Korean national had already been turned over to South Korean authorities last March.

"Based on the statement from Director General Catapang, no such attempt has been discovered or made while the said Korean national was in its custody. There has never been any attempt, known attempt or any discovered attempt," Dato said.

"We really do not know where that information is coming from," he added.

According to local and international media reports, Park, 47, a notorious South Korean drug lord convicted of murdering three Koreans in the Philippines, did not actually escape.

Instead, he plotted an audacious drone-assisted prison break from a Philippine detention facility in early 2026, but the plan was foiled when test footage surfaced in local media.