Drug seizures soar 46-fold as prosecution abolition raises enforcement vacuum fears

An official from the Incheon Airport Customs shows seized manufacturing equipment linked to a methylene dioxy meth amphetamine smuggling case during a press briefing in Incheon, March 17. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Amid a sharp rise in drug smuggling cases, concerns are mounting that the planned abolition of the prosecutor's office in October could leave a serious gap in the country’s long-established drug investigation capacity.

The volume of drugs intercepted while being smuggled into the country through maritime routes surged to 1,743 kilograms last year, up approximately 46-fold from 37 kilograms in 2021, according to Korea Coast Guard data submitted on Sunday to the office of Rep. Park Jun-tae of the main opposition People Power Party.

Smuggling patterns have also shifted, from numerous small-scale attempts to fewer but significantly larger shipments. While the number of cases rose 37.1 percent — from 518 in 2021 to 710 last year — the volume per case has surged.

In April 2025, authorities seized about 1.7 tons of cocaine, valued at about 845 billion won ($560 million), from a ship in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. The haul was enough to give every person in Korea more than a single dose based on a 0.03-gram standard.

In addition, seizures of the psychotropic drug phenobarbital — classified as a controlled substance in Korea — rose sharply, from 53.3 grams in 2024 to 465 grams in 2025, marking an eightfold increase.

Ketamine, widely used as a hallucinogenic drug in clubs and nightlife venues, also saw a rise in smuggling, with seized amounts tripling from 9.7 grams to 39 grams over the same period.

A Coast Guard official explained that the shift toward fewer but larger shipments means that a single missed case could result in a sharp surge in drugs entering the country.

Those trends have heightened concerns about a gap in drug enforcement, which intersect directly with the pending prosecution reform. The prosecutor's office has long been central to Korea's drug investigation capacity.

Currently, special judicial police under the Korea Customs Service are responsible for cracking down on drug smuggling at entry points and investigating narcotics cases in airports, ports and bonded areas under the direction of prosecutors.

When drugs are detected or couriers are apprehended, officers report to prosecutors, who then lead follow-up investigations in real time, including tracking domestic distributors and seeking warrants.

However, the planned abolition of the prosecution service in October risks eliminating both its direct investigative role in drug crimes and its authority to direct the police and special judicial police.

Disruptions to border drug investigations — previously led by prosecutors overseeing customs officers — have become inevitable as prosecution reform bills seek to abolish prosecutors’ authority to direct and supervise special judicial police.

Critics warn that the breakdown of this coordinated system could lead to a missed golden time in drug investigations where speed is critical.