The number of drug smuggling offenders in Korea surged more than 57% in a single year to a record high last year. With prosecutors' investigative powers over drug smuggling and distribution set to disappear in October, concerns are mounting that coordination among investigative agencies could falter and create gaps in drug enforcement.
According to the "2025 Drug Crime White Paper" published by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the 28th, 23,403 drug offenders were caught last year, up 1.7% from the previous year's 23,022. After first surpassing 20,000 in 2023, the figure has remained above 20,000 for three consecutive years.
Smuggling offenders in particular numbered 1,772, up 57.4% from 1,126 the previous year, marking a record high. Drug manufacturing offenders also rose 31.6% to 25. The increase is attributed to the spread of online, non-face-to-face transactions and a growing number of foreigners with prior drug experience staying in the country, which drove up overseas smuggling. Among smuggling offenders, foreigners accounted for 658, or 37.1%. The total number of foreign drug offenders also reached a record high of 3,298.
Thailand was the most common country of origin for drugs brought into Korea at 28.3%, followed by the United States (15%), Canada (13.6%) and Germany (12.5%). The trend toward younger offenders also continued. Those in their teens through their 30s numbered 14,573, accounting for 62.3% of the total. Teenagers numbered 674, up 3.9% from the previous year. Those in their 30s numbered 6,986, overtaking those in their 20s (6,913) for the first time to make up the largest share. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office analyzed that drug crimes among younger people familiar with the internet and smartphones are increasing as online transactions through the dark web and Telegram grow.
The total amount of drugs seized fell 1.4% to 1,156.4 kg, but major drugs with a high share of domestic distribution actually increased. Seizures of ketamine, known as a "club drug," reached 140.6 kg, more than triple the 42.6 kg in 2023. Ecstasy (MDMA, 44 kg) and methamphetamine (376.6 kg) rose 30.6% and 25.2%, respectively.
Legal circles point out that if prosecutors' authority to investigate drug crimes and their power to direct and supervise special judicial police officers disappear after the abolition of the prosecutors' office, the "golden time" for arresting smugglers could be lost. Currently, when the Korea Customs Service's special judicial police detect drugs or couriers at airports and ports, they report to a prosecutor, who directs the tracking of domestic distributors and applies for warrants in real time. "Controlled delivery," in which drugs are not immediately seized but made to appear as though being delivered in order to arrest collectors and distributors, is also carried out based on such coordination. Analysts note that if the initial response is delayed, there is a greater chance of arresting only simple couriers while missing domestic distribution networks and overseas ringleaders.
However, the current Act on Special Cases Concerning the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking in Narcotics stipulates the requirement for controlled delivery as being "when a prosecutor makes a request," so follow-up legislation is needed. It could also take considerable time for the police and special judicial police, who will take charge of investigations without prosecutorial direction, to acquire specialized personnel and analytical capabilities. A new command system to quickly share information and intelligence scattered across agencies and coordinate investigations has yet to be fleshed out.
There are also significant concerns that investigative capabilities accumulated by prosecutors, such as the "point-of-origin strike international cooperation system (SOP)" for tracking overseas shipping organizations locally and the joint prosecution-customs analysis team (PRO-APIS), could be severed. The concern is that the investigative approach, which has not stopped at arresting couriers and collectors domestically but has tracked down overseas manufacturers and shippers to cut off supply chains, could be weakened.
A senior prosecutor with drug investigation experience said, "There is significant confusion in the field because even the status and scope of investigation for prosecutors participating in the joint investigation headquarters have not been determined." He added, "In a situation where drug crimes are spreading through social network services (SNS) and the dark web, if the coordination system also collapses, crime could explode."
