String of drug busts shatters Korea's drug-free myth

A series of recent drug busts in South Korea is challenging the nation's long-standing reputation as a drug-free country, revealing how both Korean citizens and foreign nationals are increasingly entangled in narcotics crime. According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, they referred 66 foreign nationals to the prosecution between March and October on charges related to narcotics offenses, with 30 of them being detained.

Many of the suspects were Southeast Asian students who entered Korea under D-2 student visas or D-4 language training visas. Among the seven separate cases, one involved drug manufacturing plans, another involved smuggling, and five were related to distribution, purchase, and use. One suspect even attempted to set up equipment in a studio apartment to manufacture ecstasy pills from powder and other materials smuggled into the country, but was apprehended before acquiring the necessary ingredients.

Six others were arrested in quick succession after investigators discovered evidence that they had smuggled large quantities of ecstasy, ketamine, and other drugs into the country through international mail in March. These individuals operated independently and took orders.