Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Busan to offer free, anonymous drug testing
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By Jung Min-ho
In an effort to stop the proliferation of drug-related crimes and health problems, authorities in Busan said on Friday that they will start offering free and anonymous drug testing on May 13.
Anyone concerned about their health after consuming illicit drugs with or without their knowledge can get tested at the office of the Busan Association Against Drug Abuse, a public institution located in Yeonje District.
Visitors will be advised to consult medical experts and then take a urine test. The results will come out in 10 minutes to show whether the person has been exposed to any of six drugs — cocaine, morphine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana.
People being tested do not have to reveal their identity or share the test results with anyone at the office. If they wish, they can seek help through the city government’s program for addiction treatment or take legal steps.
This campaign comes amid a spike in the number of drug offenses in recent years.
According to a special interagency investigation team, Thursday, the number of reported drug crimes between April 2023 and this March was 28,572, a jump from 19,442 for the same period the previous year.
Most notably, the number of teenage offenders increased sharply to 1,551 from 463.