Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
INTERVIEW Veteran customs officer at center of joint anti-drug operation with Thailand
Kim Jun-hyoung, right, deputy director at the Korea Customs Service's (KCS) International Investigation Division, poses with customs officials from Korea and Thailand during a debriefing on the SIREN 2025 joint anti-drug operation at Kantary Hills Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand, June 9. Courtesy of KCS
By Yi Whan-woo
Kim Jun-hyoung, a veteran customs officer, has been at the center of a special joint crackdown between Korea and Thailand on drugs since the operation began in 2022.
Titled SIREN, the annual operation is crucial in Seoul’s bid to regain its status as a drug-free country, as Thailand accounts for nearly half of the drugs that are smuggled into Korea.
According to the Korea Customs Service (KCS), 45.6 percent of 787 kilograms of illegal drugs that it seized in 2024 were from Thailand.
Thai customs officers dispatched to Korea under the SIREN 2025 joint anti-drug operation pose outside a container terminal at a port in Busan in March. Courtesy of KCS
“I take my job seriously in planning the overall operation, including the timing and scope of the mission, as well as selection and dispatch of the KCS agents, which all need to be carefully coordinated with the Thai customs authorities,” Kim told The Korea Times in a recent interview.
The interview came shortly after the fourth annual joint operation was carried out from March 1 to May 31.
An operation coordination unit is set up at the two countries’ main gateways — Incheon International Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport — when a sweeping crackdown takes place during a certain time of the year.
The two units combined consist of a total of 17 agents — nine from the KCS and eight from the Thai Customs Department — dispatched to each other’s countries.
And Kim, 50, deputy director at the KCS’ International Investigation Division, has been responsible for joint intelligence analysis and coordinated inspections of suspicious air travelers, express cargo, international mail as well as maritime container shipments from Thailand to Korea.
“The unwavering dedication and around-the-clock efforts of frontline customs clearance personnel in Korea and Thailand must not be forgotten,” Kim said.
He noted the monthly number of drug seizures averaged 15 in the March-May operation this year.
The figure marked a whopping 172 percent surge over the four years of the operation, including 2022, which averaged only 8.7 seizures per month.
Over the same time period, a total of 156 drug smuggling cases from Thailand to Korea were reported.
The quantity of the seized drugs totaled some 385.5 kilograms, enough to provide 11.61 million doses if it had entered the market.
For the Thai side, Kim said he is especially thankful considering that “strengthening inspections of export cargo provides limited benefit from Thailand’s standpoint.”
“It was a challenge to justify continued participation in the joint operation. However, we have made every effort to engage and persuade the Thai customs authorities to maintain the operation on a yearly basis,” he said.
Kim Jun-hyoung, center in gray, deputy director at the Korea Customs Service's (KCS) International Investigation Division, poses with KCS agents, in blue, after seizing about 2 tons of cocaine from a foreign-flagged ship docked at Okgye Port in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, April 2. Courtesy of KCS
Asked about challenges for the operation, Kim picked the language barrier, cultural differences and issues related to food and living conditions.
Nevertheless, the two sides have been narrowing the gaps by “building rapport while strengthening investigative and intelligence capabilities,” Kim explained.
Concerning Korea’s push to restore its status as a drug-free country, he underlined that the KCS is making all-out efforts “to mobilize all available resources to fully respond to the drug threat.”
“Every member of the KCS, including myself, is fighting a daily battle against drugs. It is through this collective effort that we continue to hold on to the hope of restoring Korea’s status as a drug-free nation,” he said.