Domestic drug manufacturing resurges in Korea amid tighter border crackdowns

Drug manufacturing crimes, which had largely disappeared in Korea since the government’s war on drugs in the 1990s, are making a troubling return.

As authorities ramp up efforts to block drug smuggling at borders, criminals are increasingly turning to producing narcotics domestically.

According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday, a total of 23,022 people were arrested for drug-related offenses in 2023.

While this marks a 16.6 percent decrease from the record high of 27,611 in 2022, the figure still surpasses 20,000 — a nearly 20-fold jump from the 1,190 cases reported in 1985 when drug crime statistics were first recorded.

The number of drug manufacturing offenders, excluding cannabis-related cases, is on the rise. From zero in 2005, the figure climbed to four in 2010, nine in 2020, six in 2023 and 19 in 2024, the highest since statistics broken down by type of offense began in 2000.

In the 1980s, South Korea had a reputation as a methamphetamine-exporting country. But tougher crackdowns eventually dismantled domestic labs.

Now, with border seizures intensifying — over 1,170 kilograms of drugs were confiscated last year — there is a growing trend of smuggling in precursor chemicals to produce narcotics within Korea.

These substances, similar to ingredients in cold medicine, are often legally imported and distributed.

Social media, dark web fuel youth drug crimes

Recent cases reflect the trend. Prosecutors and police last year arrested two Malaysian nationals for manufacturing 9.4 kilograms of methamphetamine in an officetel near Suwon Station, with an additional 9.1 kilograms in production.

In another case, a Colombian national was indicted for attempting to produce 61 kilograms of cocaine in a warehouse in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, using precursors obtained in advance.

Earlier this year, a group was caught mixing imported precursors with nail polish remover and water to manufacture 3,420 milliliters of the synthetic drug known as "rush" in a hideout in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District.

Drug trafficking and use are also becoming more prevalent among young people, facilitated by social media and the dark web.

Last year, 60.8 percent of those caught for drug crimes were in their 20s or 30s, the first time this age group accounted for more than 60 percent.

Among teens, the number dropped significantly from 1,477 in 2022 to 649 in 2023, a 56.1 percent decrease, following stricter enforcement after a high-profile drug-laced drink incident in Gangnam’s cram school district.

The number of foreign nationals caught for drug offenses rose slightly to 3,232, up 2.6 percent from the previous year.

To combat drug trafficking at the source, prosecutors are expanding overseas cooperation by dispatching narcotics investigators to major exporting countries.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.