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Koreans rush to reclaim Mounjaro orders stuck at customs

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 16:56 Updated: 20 Nov. 2025, 16:58

Stacks of direct-purchase parcels are seen at the express cargo logistics center of Incheon Airport Regional Customs in Jung District, Incheon, on Nov. 20. [NEWS1]

Customs officers have been grappling with an unexpected rush of travelers at Incheon International Airport, many hoping to reclaim seized packages of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro that they ordered from cheaper overseas sellers before the government tightened import rules this month.

The International Mail Customs Clearance Center on Yeongjong Island has drawn steady crowds in recent weeks, according to customs officials Wednesday.

The surge began after the government said last month that it would designate Mounjaro, Wegovy and other new weight-loss drugs as “substances of concern for misuse,” a move that prompted many consumers to place last-minute overseas orders before the direct-purchase route closed.

As those packages began piling up in storage, so did the number of people trying to retrieve them.

A sudden clampdown

For months, some Koreans have turned to India and other countries where Mounjaro is noticeably cheaper than it is at home. A month's supply of 10-milligram doses costs in the upper 500,000 won ($340) range in Korea — buyers say they can find it for a little over 400,000 won through Indian sellers.

Concerned about indiscriminate personal imports and misuse, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety added Mounjaro to its list of controlled items that customs officers can block from entering the country.

This month, seizures spiked. The customs office responded by setting a cutoff: Only orders placed on or before Nov. 11 can be collected, and only if the buyer presents a doctor’s note stating the need for a prescription. Orders placed after that date cannot be retrieved, even with a visit to the customs office.

Online communities where users trade tips about Mounjaro lit up as the policy took effect. Some pleaded “Please release the packages,” while others posted accounts of their visits, such as “I brought a doctor’s note and got mine, but they removed the outer packaging.”

A customs representative said officers have begun checking Mounjaro imports “more carefully than before” amid the surge.

A search for cheaper alternatives

A box of Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes and made by Lilly is seen at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on March 29, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The rush to India — nicknamed “Indojaro” among users — is only part of the story. Others have traveled to Japan to secure prescriptions directly from clinics in cities like Tokyo and Fukuoka, a trend dubbed “Japanjaro.”

Some users have claimed online that certain clinics prescribe the drug without thorough checks of weight or other conditions. Those avenues have narrowed as well.

Consumers have pursued these routes largely for price reasons. Industry representatives say Japan’s prices fell in part because some weight-loss drugs receive partial insurance coverage there, pulling down prices of related medications.

The United States has seen price declines as well after U.S. President Donald Trump and pharmaceutical companies reached an agreement to lower drug costs.

Online users in Korea complain that domestic prices include a “kimchi premium.”

A Ministry of Food and Drug Safety representative warned that buyers expose themselves to significant risk when they turn to overseas sellers whose manufacturing, storage and shipping practices cannot be verified.

The representative said quality is not guaranteed and that “if harm occurs while using an unverified product, it is difficult to recall it or compensate for the damage.”

"Using medicines according to approved indications is the safest and most effective approach," the representative added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]