Illegal imports of weight-loss drugs more than triple in H1
The number of attempts to illegally import weight-loss medications, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, from abroad in the first half was more than triple those caught for the whole of 2025, customs data showed Monday. A total of 4,155 cases involving the illegal import of Wegovy and Mounjaro through overseas direct purchases and other illicit channels were detected in the January-June period, far…
In the first half of the year, there was a significant surge in attempts to illegally import weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro, with the number of detected cases more than tripling compared to the entire year 2025. According to customs data, 4,155 cases were identified in the January-June period, a stark contrast to the 1,189 cases recorded in 2025.
This increase is primarily attributed to the growing trend of people purchasing the medications from overseas online platforms and having them shipped internationally. The Korea Customs Service detected 3,489 such mail shipments containing Wegovy and Mounjaro during the first half of the year, a dramatic rise from the 1,046 cases logged in all of 2025. Moreover, 656 cases involved individuals carrying the medications themselves during travel.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Illegal imports of weight-loss drugs more than triple in H1 koreatimes.co.kr
- Illegal imports of weight-loss drugs more than triple in H1 en.yna.co.kr
