SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – As South Korea prepares for the launch of Wegovy, a highly anticipated weight loss medication, next month, questions are arising about its coverage under private health insurance plans. Wegovy, produced by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and famously touted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as his weight management secret, is [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court finalized heavy prison terms, ranging from seven to 18 years, for four men connected to a high-profile drug scam case where young students were deceived into consuming drug-laced drinks, judicial officials said Friday. In the ruling made last month, one of the four defendants, a man [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – In recent years, South Korea has witnessed a significant increase in medical expenses related to drug addiction, largely attributed to a growing trend of prescribing psychotropic medications for insomnia treatment and weight loss. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) released these findings on June 26, coinciding with World [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The yearly number of drug offenders surpassed the 20,000 mark for the first time last year, driven by increases among young people and women, a report showed Wednesday. A record high of 27,611 people were apprehended for drug-related offenses last year, marking nearly a 50 percent increase from the [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 300 illegal immigrants have been caught for drug-related charges so far this year, police data showed Tuesday, amid a sharp rise in the number of undocumented foreign drug offenders. A total of 549 foreigners were apprehended for drug charges from January-May and 317 of them, or 57.8 [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Former professional baseball player Oh Jae-won arrested last week on drug charges was transferred to the prosecution Friday for further investigation and a possible indictment, police said. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station said it sent Oh’s case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on charges of illegal drug [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – In a bid to help teenagers with drug addiction recover their daily lives and foster self-reliance, the South Korean government plans to pilot the country’s first residential treatment camps in the latter half of this year. According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the state-run Korea Youth Counseling [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – The escalation of drug crimes in South Korea is anticipated to pose growing societal concern in the upcoming year, primarily attributed to the proliferation of online drug distribution channels that gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic. On December 27, the Institute of Public Security Policy at the National Police University [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Police decided not to refer K-pop star G-Dragon to the prosecution over suspicions of illegal drug use as they plan to wrap up their investigation next week, officials said Thursday. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said they will officially clear G-Dragon of drug suspicions when they conclude the investigation [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — G-Dragon of K-pop group BIGBANG denied suspicions of illegal drug use Friday. “I’ve never used drugs,” the singer, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, said in a statement distributed through his lawyer. On Wednesday, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency booked him for allegedly using drugs, in violation of the [...]