Drug Arrests of Foreigners in Korea Increase for FY 2024

The number of arrests in Korea on drug charges last year was 23,022, a 16.6% decrease from the previous year. However, arrests of foreigners on drug charges increased for two consecutive years – 2,573 in 2022 to 3,151 in 2023 and 3,232 last year.

The Korean police and prosecution are focused on increasing enforcement actions against foreigners. If you are charged with any drug crime in Korea it is essential to hire the best lawyer you can afford. See: Defense Lawyers in Korea.

This last year drug arrests have spread to non-targeted locations including industrial complexes, farms, and Southeast Asian nightclubs. For example, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency conducted an investigation from September to December of 2024. The police agency arrested 90 people on charges of distributing and administering drugs (violating the Narcotics Control Act of Korea) at nine Vietnamese-run bars and clubs.

In November of 2024, the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, Korean Central Coast Guard, and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency arrested eight people, including Canadian drug dealers, who smuggled liquid cocaine from Colombia to Korea and manufactured 61 kg of solid cocaine with a Colombian national that entered Korea to manufacture the drugs.

Korea Considering Forming a Special Task Force with the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of Korea

It was reported in the Law Times that Korea is studying the formation of a joint investigation headquarters within the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. The plan was put on hold, because of the presidential impeachment issues. A senior prosecutor was quoted as noting that: “The launch of the Joint Investigation Headquarters is a matter that requires a decision at the government level,” and “It stopped at the final stage as the political situation became unstable.” He added, “I think we will have to watch the progress going forward.”

We suspect that this office shall increase the number of arrests for drug crimes and the efficiency of drug investigations while increasing the knowledge of the prosecutors and investigators. We, also, see some innocent people getting pulled into drug investigations and we believe with a unified and systemic training – this reality shall occur less often.

We shall update the reader when more is known.

If you are charged with any drug crime in South Korea it is essential to hire a lawyer as soon as possible. For more information on hiring a Korean criminal defense attorney, please see: Defense Lawyers in Korea.

Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean attorney to have worked for the Korean court system (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a regular member of a Korean law faculty. Sean is ranked, for Korea, as one of only a few non-Korean lawyers as a Top Attorney by AsiaLaw, and IPG Legal is consistently ranked Top Dispute Resolution Law Firm for our litigation services and IPG Legal is consistently rated a top-tier law firm in corporate law, litigation, franchise law, estate law, family law, employment & labor law, and criminal defense law.

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