Recently, celebrities have been under police investigation for drug use, and a doctor has been charged with providing illegal substances. In addition, it has been revealed that drugs are being advertised openly. This has caused a stir in the public.
The police have arrested an individual who was distributing cards that advertised marijuana around universities in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Furthermore, in April a group was caught for attempting to deceive high school students into taking meth-laced drinks. Additionally, a police officer jumped to his death from an apartment where he was with other drug users, and a man drove his car onto the sidewalk while under the influence of drugs, killing a young pedestrian. Lastly, a teenager who had taken methamphetamine was found attempting to open an emergency exit door on a plane.
These occurrences demonstrate that drug use is spreading rapidly and indiscriminately. The number of drug offenders has increased from 12,387 in 2022 to 12,700 in the eight months leading up to August. A drug ring was also broken up involving smuggling groups from six other countries. The Korea Customs Service uncovered 493 kilograms of drugs from January to September, a 29 percent increase from the 383 kilograms found during the same period in 2021.
There is a particularly concerning rise in drug use among young people. A large portion of those arrested for drug offenses were in their twenties, and illegal drugs are being distributed through social networking services. Additionally, 659 teenagers were arrested in the first eight months of the year, more than double the 294 arrested in the same period in 2021.
Given the influence of celebrities on adolescents, they must be held accountable for drug abuse. The government has declared a plan to form a team to devise special measures to eliminate drug smuggling, and the police must crack down on those selling drugs to students. A narcotics investigation bureau should be created to better control investigations, and harsher punishments should be implemented for drug offenders.