{
  "id": 12058850,
  "title": "Arrests of drug smugglers, manufacturers rise 33.8% this year: police",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/arrests-of-drug-smugglers-manufacturers-rise-33-8-this-year-police-12058850",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T02:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20261005/arrests-of-drug-smugglers-manufacturers-rise-338-this-year-police"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Police reported a 33.8% increase in arrests related to drug smuggling and manufacturing during the first eight months of the current year compared to the same period last year, according to Monday's statement. The National Office of Investigation, part of the Korean National Police Agency, revealed that 174 individuals were apprehended for drug manufacturing and trafficking between January and August, marking a 33.8% rise from 130 arrests during the corresponding period in 2021. Additionally, drug dealing offenses saw a 6.6% increase on a year-over-year basis, with 3,396 people arrested. The overall number of individuals caught for drug-related activities totaled 9,530, reflecting a 5.3% increase from the previous year. Of these arrests, 706 were for offenses involving medical drugs, representing an 11.9% increase compared to 2021. Law enforcement agencies have intensified their efforts this year to disrupt drug supply sources and distribution networks. A significant case involved the repatriation and arrest of notorious drug trafficker Park Wang-yeol, who was apprehended in the Philippines and extradited back to South Korea. Park was imprisoned in the Southeast Asian country on suspicion of killing three South Koreans.",
  "summary": "The number of people arrested for drug smuggling and manufacturing rose more than 30 percent in the first eight months of this year from a year earlier, police said Monday. The National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the Korean National Police Agency said it arrested 174 people for drug manufacturing and smuggling between January and August, up 33.8 percent from 130 during the same period…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Arrests of drug smugglers, manufacturers rise 33.8 pct this year: police",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/arrests-of-drug-smugglers-manufacturers-rise-33-8-pct-this-year-police",
        "published": "2026-10-05T02:24:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Arrests of drug smugglers, manufacturers rise 33.8% this year: police",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/arrests-of-drug-smugglers-manufacturers-rise-33-8-this-year-police",
        "published": "2026-10-05T02:42:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}