Illegal imports of obesity drugs surge 3.5-fold in Korea

Illegal imports of obesity drugs, particularly Mounjaro and Wegovy, have surged by 3.5 times in South Korea during the first half of this year, according to the Korea Customs Service. The increase is largely attributed to individuals ordering these drugs from foreign websites and having them shipped through international mail. The Korea Customs Service detected 4,155 instances of illegal imports between January and June, compared to 1,189 cases for all of last year.

Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, both once-weekly injectable obesity treatments, were launched in Korea in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The number of illegal import cases has risen significantly since their domestic debuts, from four cases in 2024 to more than 4,000 in the first half of this year. International mail was the most common route for these illicit imports, accounting for 84.8 percent of cases.

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