"Korea is no longer a drug-cleaning country," prevention, crackdown, and strict punishment are essential.

Composer and businessman Don Spike (45, Kim Min-soo) is suspected of possessing 30g of methamphetamine and taking drugs, which is about 1,000 doses. Given that there are already three similar criminal records, the police estimate that there will be "sales measures" that mainly deal. Don Spike said he had multiple mobile phones, and he will determine whether he is an accomplice through forensics.

The fact that celebrities and wealthy people take drugs is often reported in the media. Drugs have recently been consumed as a material for domestic and foreign movies and dramas such as Netflix drama "Suri Nam." Drugs are now penetrating among ordinary citizens, not celebrities or entertainment entrants.

Experts say, "Korea is not a drug-cleaning country." Recently, the number of cases in which teenage drug offenders are caught is also increasing rapidly. Drug crimes are more than crackdown and punishment, and there are many voices calling for a treatment and rehabilitation system to lower the recidivism rate.

■ When I went out of prison, I got out of jail. Eight out of ten drug offenders re-offend within three years 

"There are many people who have been caught by me three or four times in nearly 20 years of drug investigation.Kim Seok-hwan, the first "drug crime investigator" in Korea, who has arrested more than 1,500 people while investigating drugs for more than 20 years, said.

Section chief Kim said, "If those who have served time by habitually administering drugs are released from prison, they will be given drugs again because their accomplices who met them suffered." The number of people arrested for repeated drug crimes reaches 2,000 a year. Eighty percent of them committed drug crimes again within three years. If addiction is not cured, the vicious cycle repeats.

The rate of recidivism in drug crimes is on the rise. According to the National Statistical Portal, 2,695 people were arrested for drug crimes in 2019, up 19.4% from 2,256 last year. The number was 2,671 in 2020, a slight decrease from the previous year, but an increase of 18.4% from 2018, two years ago.

Drug crimes are characterized by committing crimes again in a shorter time than other crimes. Among repeat drug offenders in 2020, 2,178 people were arrested again within three years, accounting for 81.5% of the total. On the other hand, 66.2% (131,057) of all repeat offenders of the same kind were arrested within three years.

■ The "non-face-to-face drug market" brought about by COVID-19... Characteristics are those in their 30s or younger, first-time offenders, and foreigners 

During the COVID-19 period, the pattern of drug crimes has changed. As drugs were purchased online non-face-to-face, the number of users taking drugs increased significantly, especially among young people, and the rate of first-time offenders also increased. Although the amount of movement at home and abroad has decreased, the number of cases in which foreigners administer and distribute drugs in Korea has also increased. According to statistics submitted to the Democratic Party of Korea's Kang Sun-woo's office, the proportion of drug offenders in their 30s and younger among all drug offenders is rising every year to 40.7% in 2018, 48.8% in 2019, 51.2% in 2020, and 58.8% in 2021.

Experts cite the spread of non-face-to-face transactions as the reason for the increase in young drug offenders. In the past, when face-to-face transactions were the center, it was difficult to obtain drugs, but recently, an environment has been created in which ordinary people can easily obtain drugs non-face-to-face using Telegram. As a result, the number of young people who are familiar with the Internet has increased.

Non-face-to-face transactions are mainly made through Telegram. According to statistics from the Korea Anti-drug Movement Headquarters, 72.8% of people who illegally distribute and sell drugs used Telegram. Kakao Talk 10.7%, Line 4.1% and homepage 2.1%. Others such as Wicker, Tumblr, Wire, and Telephone also accounted for 10.1%.

The number of first-time offenders increased as drugs were easily available online. According to statistics from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the proportion of first-time offenders among drug offenders has risen every year from 74% (1,751) in 2019 to 74.6% (1,960) in 2020 and 75.8% (1962) in 2021. In the past, drugs were considered the exclusive property of celebrities or certain occupational groups, but they are now popular.

Although global mobility has decreased due to the influence of COVID-19, paradoxically, the number of foreign drug offenders has increased. According to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the number of foreign drug crackdown offenders increased 2.5 times in five years from 932 in 2017 to 2,339 in 2021. The countries of origin of foreign drug offenders were also diversified from 34 countries in 2017 to 71 countries in 2021.

Foreign drug offenders go beyond simple drug crimes and are also involved in distribution. Experts believe that foreign drug offenders could continue to increase due to the nature of Korea, which is easy to trade drugs through the Internet and relatively high drug black market prices. It also warned that new drugs that are inexpensive and hallucinogenic could come in from Southeast Asia and elsewhere. 

■ Only when "addiction" is treated can the vicious cycle be cut off.

Some point out that the method of dealing with drug offenders in correctional facilities is not effective in edifying. Currently, in prisons across the country, drug offenders are given "blue name tags" and locked away from other criminals. It is in the name of preventing the spread of drug crime.

Police specializing in drugs point out that simple drug offenders can evolve through information sharing mixed with manufacturing and distribution offenders. It is a structure in which drug offenders live in the same room, build friendship, and share information on criminal routes such as drug purchases.

Kim Dae-kyu, head of the drug investigation division at the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, said, "Drug crimes have anonymity that buyers and sellers don't know each other, and if they get to know each other in prison, they can approach each other and exchange drugs again after they are released.“

In order to break the vicious cycle of addiction, treatment and rehabilitation measures must be secured as much as punishment. There is a grace period for prosecution on the premise of treatment, but there is a shortage of management personnel.

The Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters is in charge of education for drug offenders who are suspended from prosecution with leading conditions for minors and suspended from prosecution with educational conditions for adults. According to an official at the headquarters, the number of people subject to lead and education last year was 1,162. On the other hand, there are about 10 people in charge of education in nine branches nationwide. It seems that more than 100 people are in charge of education per person.

There is also a lack of institutions to treat drug addicts from addiction. According to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare by the Office of the People's Power, there are a total of 21 domestic treatment and protection institutions as of April this year. Among them, none of them are actually operated except for Incheon Cham Sarang Hospital and Changnyeong National Bugok Hospital in South Gyeongsang Province, which treated 164 and 107 people, respectively, last year.

Excluding these two hospitals, there are only five hospitals that treated even one person last year. During this period, two people were treated at the National Mental Health Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul and Gyeyo Hospital in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do. There are one person each at Eunpyeong Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Busan Metropolitan Medical Center in Yeonje-gu, Busan, and Daegu Medical Center in Seo-gu, Daegu. 

Experts emphasize the importance of treatment as it is important to get out of addiction to prevent the recurrence of drug crimes. Park Young-deok, head of the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters, said, "We have not been able to suggest ways to recover drug addicts by turning them into ex-convicts," adding, "The state should pay attention to treatment and rehabilitation.“

 

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