Until recently, there were a lot of drug cases, South Korea was a drug-clean country. Around 2000, a new type of narcotics among adolescents was on the rise, but after 2010, the illegal use of narcotics by domestic students, foreign workers, and U.S. military personnel in clubs in Itaewon, Sinchon, and Gangnam increased.

According to the ‘Report on Narcotic Abuse and Countermeasures Report’ of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, the number of drug offenders in Korea has been increasing over the past five years. In 2018, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and yaba, including new drugs, increased significantly and spread to youth, including college students,s professors, entertainers, children of wealthy families, and international students. 

According to monthly statistics from the Korea Anti-Drug Campaign Headquarters, the breakdown of drug crackdowns by age group in April showed a total of 173 cases of marijuana, narcotics, and psychotropic drugs for those under the age of 19. According to the Gyeongnam Police Agency, 42 teens, including high school students, were arrested at Busan and Gyeongnam Regional Hospitals and pharmacies on the 20th for distributing or administering the narcotic pain reliever patch “Fentanyl”. It was revealed that they were distributing fentanyl patches, a narcotic pain reliever, not only in parks and shopping district restrooms but also in schools.

The most shocking thing is that they were distributing drugs in school. It’s most shocking because even if fentanyl is not administered directly, even a very fine powder in contact with the body can cause severe poisoning. South Korea, which used to be a drug-free country, is no longer a drug-free country, and I hope that innocent citizens will not be harmed by this. 

김유민 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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