60 percent of foreign drug offenders in Korea illegally

The Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun District, western Seoul [YONHAP]

Nearly six out of 10 foreign drug offenders nabbed by the police this year were staying in the country illegally.

According to data revealed on Thursday by People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Chung Woo-taik, a member of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, 715 foreigners were charged with drug-related offenses this year from January to May.

The data was said to have come from the police.

Among those 715 foreigners, 422 people, or 59 percent, did not have a valid visa.

The number of foreign drug offenders rose from 596 in 2018 to 1,757 last year, or a 194.8 percent increase, according to Chung.

In comparison, the number of undocumented foreign drug offenders jumped from 172 in 2018 to 353 in 2019, 697 in 2020, 811 in 2021, and 945 last year, a 449.4 percent increase from 2018 to 2022.

The rate of illegal immigrants to the total number of foreigners charged with a drug offense has risen from 28.9 percent in 2018 to 32.3 percent in 2019, 47.5 percent in 2020, 48.5 percent in 2021, and 53.8 percent in 2022.

Among 3,400 undocumented foreign drug offenders nabbed from 2018 to May, 2,543 people, or 74.8 percent, were Thai.

They were followed by 440 from Vietnam, 160 from China, 50 from Russia, 48 from Uzbekistan, 39 from Kazakhstan, 34 from Cambodia, six from the Philippines, and five from the United States, said Chung.

Drug crimes have been a major concern for the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, with recent statistics indicating an upward trend in drug abuse, not just among foreigners.

In April, a drug ring was arrested while handing out drinks laced with ecstasy and meth to children in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, claiming the refreshments enhance concentration and memory.

Later that month, the Seoul police announced that a web of 131 drug suspects, including 15 minors, has been handed over to prosecutors after a two-year investigation, with 19 of them said to be physically detained.

The minors were described as 16 to 18-year-olds who allegedly bought drugs on social media or through friends who had connections with dealers.

Thirty-nine suspects were accused of selling drugs.

In early June, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said traces of methamphetamine, more commonly known as “philopon” in Korea, were found in every single wastewater treatment plant that was surveyed by the government across the nation over the past three years.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]