This photo, provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on March 30, 2023, shows a variety of drugs seized in recent police crackdowns at entertainment establishments in southern Seoul.
SEOUL, April 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is stepping up efforts to combat fast-growing drug crimes by establishing a large-scale investigation unit comprising 840 officials from different government agencies, the government said Tuesday.
The plan is a follow-up to a set of comprehensive measures against drug crimes announced last November, which resulted in the rounding up of 5,809 drug offenders in just four months.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has taken a strong stance on eradicating drug crimes, especially after learning of a recent scam where high school students in Seoul were duped into drinking drug-laced beverages earlier this month.
The new unit will be staffed by prosecutors, investigators, and customs and other officials, and will be headquartered at the Supreme Prosecutors Office, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
“Efforts will be focused on protecting the people from drugs and making a healthy society through the government’s concentrated capabilities,” Minister for Government Policy Coordination Bang Moon-kyu told a press conference.
The unit will focus on investigations into large-scale drug smuggling, illegal circulation of medical-purpose drugs and drug dealing over the internet, such as the dark web that is inaccessible by regular web browsers.
Noticeably, the unit will deal with rising drug crimes targeting young people and to prevent opportunities for the younger population to buy and sell drugs on social media.
During the four-month period after the comprehensive measures were announced, a total of 306.8 kilograms of illegal narcotics were seized, up 55 percent from the same period a year earlier, the government said.
Also, 1,071 people underwent drug rehab programs during the same period, up 150 percent on-year, the government said.
(Yonhap)
