Republic of Korea

2005 INCSR

International Narcotics Control Strategy Report - 2005
Released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
March 2005

 

South Korea

I. Summary

Narcotics production or abuse is not a major problem in the Republic of Korea. However, continuing intelligence indicates that large quantities of drugs are smuggled through South Korea en route to the United States as well as other countries. South Korea in recent years has become a favored transshipment location for drug traffickers due to the country’s reputation for not having a drug-abuse problem. This, combined with the fact that the South Korean port of Pusan is the second largest port in East Asia, makes Korea an attractive location to divert illegal shipments coming from more suspect countries. In response, the South Korean government has taken significant steps to thwart the transshipment of drugs through its borders.

Club drugs such as Ecstasy and LSD continue to grow in popularity among college students. Most of the LSD and Ecstasy used in South Korea comes from North America or Europe. However, methamphetamine continues to be the drug of choice for Koreans. The Republic of Korea (ROK) is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

II. Status of Country

Drugs encountered in South Korea continue to consist of methamphetamine, marijuana, and club drugs such as LSD, Ecstasy and ketamine. The numbers of persons arrested in South Korea for use of psychotropic substances, mostly club drugs, increased from 3,657 persons to 4,478 persons (a 23 percent increase) while persons arrested for marijuana use fell from 1,276 to 940 (a 26 percent decrease). The overall arrest rate for drug offenders increased slightly, from 6,086 arrests in 2003 to 6,529 arrests in 2004. It should be noted that these figures for both years are based on the first ten months of the year. Total figures for 2004 were not available.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2004

Policy Initiatives. In 2004, the ROK National Assembly confirmed newly amended legislation, which enhances the control of certain precursor chemicals. Previously, Korean authorities could only bring administrative charges of mislabeling against companies that transshipped precursor chemicals through Korea. The recent legislative action enhances the controls and enforcement procedures of the host government and allows for criminal sanctions. Unfortunately, the lead agency for this initiative, the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), has extremely limited resources and is only able to assign a limited number of persons to monitor the precursor chemical program. Still, this proactive legislation demonstrates South Korea’s recognition of the need for an enhanced precursor chemical program.

Accomplishments. The ROK has identified the transshipment of narcotics and the export of precursor chemicals as its most serious narcotics trafficking issues, and has taken aggressive, proactive steps in response. To curb the flow of drugs through airports, South Korea law enforcement has increased its presence and implemented tighter screening processes, including enhanced procedures for examining persons, luggage, express mail and cargo. To better manage the export of precursor chemicals, the ROK created a precursor chemical program with greater power to punish offending companies.

In 2003, no cargo containers routed through Korea were identified carrying drugs or precursor chemicals, although intelligence indicated that these items had successfully transshipped through ROK ports. However, in 2004, the DEA and the Korea Customs Service tracked two large transshipments of illicitly diverted precursor chemicals as they were transshipped through the country, with resulting seizures at the final destinations.

Law Enforcement Efforts. In the past year, the Korean National Police Agency reassigned 175 police to a newly created narcotics detail, creating dedicated narcotics enforcement teams at 14 of the major metropolitan provincial districts. This is the first time that South Korean police officers are being assigned solely to narcotics investigations. However, while the Korean National Police Agency can make arrests, they have limited investigative authority. The police are expected to immediately report the case to the Ministry of Justice Prosecutor’s Office, which will usually assume jurisdiction of the investigation.

The DEA Seoul Country Office provided for a one-week training session on narcotics investigations, at the Korean Police University for members of the Korean National Police Agency’s narcotics units, the Korea Customs Service, the Korean National Intelligence Service, the Korean Maritime Police and the Korean Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. This training is again scheduled for 2005, with an advance course being considered for 2006.

Corruption. Although isolated reports of official corruption continue to appear in the ROK’s vigorous free press, there continues to be no evidence that any official corruption adversely influenced narcotics law enforcement in Korea. It is not government policy to facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotics.

Agreements and Treaties. The U.S. and Korea have an extradition treaty and a mutual legal assistance treaty in force. South Korea is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1961 UN Single Convention, as amended by its 1972 Protocol. South Korea has signed, but has not yet ratified, the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, and is a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption. Korean authorities are exchanging information with international counternarcotics services such as UNODC, INTERPOL and have placed National Police and/or Customs Attaches in Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, China and the United States. South Korea has several bilateral mutual legal assistance treaties with other countries.

Illicit Cultivation and Production. Legal marijuana and hemp growth is licensed by local Health Departments. The hemp is used to produce fiber for traditional hand-made ceremonial funeral clothing. Every year, each District Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with local governments, conducts surveillance into suspected or known illicit marijuana growing areas during planting or harvesting time periods in an attempt to match the number of seeds farmers reported planting to mature crops and limit illicit diversion. Last year, a marked decrease of 5,599 plants were seized by local authorities, however, this year, the number of plants seized is extremely high at 58,755 plants. The DEA Office in Seoul suggests that because the limited number of crops in the ROK is heavily dependent on natural phenomenon such as drought, monsoons, etc, the percentages can vacillate greatly from year to year. Opium poppies are grown in the Kyonggi Province and farmers have traditionally used the harvested plants as a folk medicine remedy to treat sick pigs and cows. Opium is not normally processed from these plants for human consumption. All poppies are grown illegally; South Korea forbids the growing of poppies for any reason. Each year, each District Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with their respective local governments, conduct surveillance into the suspected or known poppy growing areas during planting and harvesting time periods.

Drug Flow/Transit. Few narcotics originate in South Korea for use within country, and none are known at this time to be exported out of the country. However, Korea does produce and export the precursor chemicals Acetone, Toulene and Sulfuric Acid. Most Koreans who attempt to smuggle methamphetamine into Korea are coming from China, and on a few occasions the smugglers have indicated that the methamphetamine originated from North Korea and was simply transshipped through China.

A majority of the LSD and Ecstasy used in South Korea has been identified as coming from North America or Europe. The amount of seizures of Ecstasy went up exponentially from 2,575 tablets in 2003 to 20,358 tablets in 2004. Persons living in metropolitan areas of Korea, as well as USFK (United States’ Forces Korea) employees and dependants are known to use marijuana originating from South Africa and Nigeria, whereas those living in rural areas appear to obtain their marijuana from locally produced crops.

The areas of origin for the transshipped narcotics include Thailand, China, North Korea and Canada for heroin; Iran and South Africa for marijuana and hashish; United States and Spain for Ecstasy; and China, Thailand, Philippines and North Korea for methamphetamine. Chemicals used for manufacturing illicit drugs, such as potassium permanganate, ephedrine and acetic anhydride, originate mostly in China for transshipment to South America and the Middle East region. Seizures of trafficked marijuana were down by half, from about 29 kilograms in 2003 to approximately 16 kilograms in 2004. This is probably a result of stepped up customs procedures at the airports and seaports. Heroin is generally not used by Koreans; cocaine is used only sporadically with no indication of its use increasing. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs

Policy Initiatives and Programs. DEA and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) work closely with Korea narcotics law enforcement authorities, and the DEA considers the working relationship excellent.

Bilateral Cooperation. The DEA in Seoul completed a survey of chemical monitoring programs operating in other Asian countries and forwarded the results to the Korean Food and Drug Administration to highlight the importance of the steps being taken by neighboring countries. DEA also works closely with the Korea Customs Service, which monitors airport and drug transshipment methods and trends, including the use of international mail by drug traffickers.

Road Ahead. While the Korean law enforcement agencies all strive to combat narcotics use and trafficking within their country, South Korea is also looking forward to a more global approach to address the forces outside of Korea. In addition, Korean authorities have expressed concern that the popularity of South Korea as a transshipment nexus may lead to a greater volume of drugs making its way onto Korean markets. Korean authorities fear increased accessibility and lower prices could stimulate increased drug usage domestically.