From Drug-Free Nation to Drug Challenges: South Korea’s Struggle Continues

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Calls are growing for the government to speed up the establishment of a dedicated Drug Investigation Bureau to unify domestic investigations and strengthen international cooperation in drug-related crimes. Alongside punishment, voices are emphasizing the importance of preventive measures such as enhancing counseling services and establishing centers to eradicate drug use, which has a high rate of recidivism. This is because South Korea, which once prided itself as a ‘drug-free nation,’ is being tainted by drugs, as evidenced by recent celebrity drug scandals and the emergence of ‘drug advertisement business cards’ in universities.

According to legal and political circles, as of August this year, an average of about 2,800 drug offenders are being caught each month. This is a 270% increase from the monthly average of 676 in 2018. The easy availability of drugs on the internet and social media platforms is pointed out as the leading cause.

Our government launched the ‘Special Investigation Bureau for Drug Crimes’ in April this year and is working on building cooperation teams with foreign countries. Still, it is argued that they are unable to keep up with the spread of drugs. Experts agree that an independent investigative agency capable of playing a control tower role in domestic drug investigations and budget support are needed. The Drug Enforcement Administration under the U.S. Department of Justice, for instance, has over 10,000 employees and receives more than 5 trillion won (approximately $4.2 billion) in budget support each year.

Professor Hong Wan-sik from Konkuk University Law School said, “The government’s expansion of the organization and increasing personnel for drug investigations is commendable,” and added, “We should follow the U.S., which has a separate investigative agency.”

Along with this, experts pointed out that simply increasing the level of punishment will not effectively eradicate drug use, which has a high rate of recidivism. They emphasized that preventive measures such as establishing centers and counseling should not be overlooked. Given the highly addictive nature of drugs and the high rate of recidivism, they argue that the government needs to engage in ‘treatment actively.’ According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, last year, the number of patients treated with a drug addiction disease code was 721, which is only 3.9% of the total number of drug offenders (18,395).

Professor Hong said, “Severe punishment does not necessarily work. Once addicted to drugs, it’s hard to come back, and it can lead to crimes to cover the cost of drugs, leading to an increase in theft and prostitution. There may be questions about the effectiveness of counseling, but that implies whether they can quit just by being punished.” He continued, “There is a reason why some countries have legalized marijuana. It’s hard to quit drugs. The best option is to prevent people from starting drugs, but for those who have already started, we need to strengthen systems like counseling to help them quit.”

By. Park Se Young