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Prime minister calls for tighter crackdowns on illegal drugs

Published: 19 Apr. 2026, 16:38

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, fourth from left, sits next to Nam Kyung-pil, the leader of the drug addiction prevention civic body NGU, second from right, and attends a meeting of related ministers to discuss measures to enhance a drug crackdown at the government complex in Seoul on April 17. [YONHAP]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok called on Friday for tightening crackdowns on illegal drugs, saying criminal activities involving their smuggling and abuse are threatening people's safety and everyday lives.

Kim issued the call during a government meeting on responding to drug offenses, citing statistics that 62 percent of the 23,000 drug offenders arrested last year were people in their 30s or younger.

In some cases, he said, young people ended up as criminals after they took part in drug smuggling that they thought was a high-paying part-time job.

“It is a serious social issue eating away at young people's futures,” the prime minister said. “Investigations and crackdowns must become more thorough. [...] From our borders to the online sphere, there must be watertight crackdowns and strengthened tracking of distribution organizations, as well as full recovery of criminal proceeds.”

Kim also called for reviewing treatment and rehabilitation programs and improving preventive education to better educate teenagers about the dangers of drugs.

Yonhap