Launch of drug enforcement agency under consideration by gov't, ruling party

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, second from left, speaks during a party-government meeting at the National Assembly, Friday, over tackling rising cases of illegal drug use in the country. Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

The country's ruling party and the government agreed, Friday, to strengthen penalization against illegal drug use by vesting more power to prosecutors and launching a new government agency dedicated to controlling the crime.

The meeting comes after a recent extortion scam where high school students were duped into drinking drug-laced beverages distributed in southern Seoul's Gangnam District, a region well known for its concentration of cram schools.

People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said during a meeting at the National Assembly that the measures should be implemented before it is “too late to regret.” He said smuggling drugs into the country should be countered by a comprehensive set of fresh measures from prevention to treatment and rehabilitation.

As the proportion of teenagers among all recorded drug offenders has quadrupled in five years, customized preventive measures to stem the spread of drugs among people in that age group are required, he said.

Prosecutors, following a legal revision last September, partly got back their investigative rights over narcotic crimes and, since then, have spotted 50 percent more related crimes and arrested 83 percent more criminals than before the revision, according to Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon who attended the meeting.

He added that competition and cooperation between the police and prosecutors will help the country nab more criminals.

Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyoo-hong promised that he will rearrange infrastructure and encourage more drug addicts to get treatment under hospitalization rather than by walk-in to improve treatment more effectively.

Food and Drug Safety Minister Oh Yu-kyoung, National Police Agency Commissioner-General Yoon Hee-keun and Vice Minister of Education Jang Sang-yoon were also present at the meeting.