{"id":2199319,"date":"2022-11-02T09:27:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T09:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199319"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:03","slug":"drugs-on-telegram-put-south-koreas-drug-free-reputation-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/11\/drugs-on-telegram-put-south-koreas-drug-free-reputation-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Drugs on Telegram put South Korea\u2019s \u2018drug-free\u2019 reputation to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"
Lee was in his twenties when he first experimented with drugs, trying marijuana and cocaine while studying abroad in the U.S. But he says that when he returned to South Korea, he started using \u201cstronger\u201d stuff.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt first, it was occasional. But once a month became once a week\u2026 and then I started using every day. I wanted to quit, but I just couldn\u2019t stop,\u201d said Lee, a pseudonym he uses as a recovering addict in Narcotics Anonymous. \u201cThen one day, I was arrested.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lee\u2019s arrest eight years ago makes him one of the tens of thousands of South Koreans charged for drug-related offenses as illegal drug abuse has surged over the last decade, a development that has authorities raising alarms. Earlier this month, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a \u201c<\/span>war on drugs<\/span><\/a>,\u201d while prosecutors <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> they will set up a nationwide anti-drug task force.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Last year, the number of drug offenders in South Korea hit 16,153, up from just over 9,000 in 2012, according to statistics from the <\/span>Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These are still relatively small numbers compared to other developed countries, where drug use has been common for decades or longer. By comparison, <\/span>U.K. authorities recorded<\/span><\/a> over 210,000 drug offenses in England and Wales in 2020. In the Netherlands, <\/span>authorities seized<\/span><\/a> over 48,000 pounds (22,000 kg) of cocaine in the first half of 2022, while police in South Korea <\/span>confiscated<\/span><\/a> less than 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of all illicit drugs in the same period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But novel methods of online drug dealing in hyperconnected South Korea have only made it easier for kids and young adults to get high, even though the penalties for drug dealing and possession usually include several years in jail and\/or heavy fines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tackling the problem will require Seoul to take a hard look at how other countries\u2019 campaigns against drug abuse in order to avoid the pitfalls of their approaches, drawing on international expertise while also confronting the deep-rooted social problems that are helping to fuel the growing drug crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n DRUGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS<\/b> Advertisements for drugs on South Korean social media are easy to find. Korean-language ads for fentanyl and methamphetamine are widely distributed on Twitter. Dealers post pictures of crystal meth \u2014 dubbed \u201cice\u201d (\uc544\uc774\uc2a4) in Korean \u2014 accompanied by a Telegram username.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ordering is easy. Users can forward their orders to dealers on Telegram, who will in turn ask their clients to transfer cryptocurrency to their accounts. After the transaction has been completed, dealers will hide the drugs in public places and send the location to their buyers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s fast internet speeds and ubiquitous <\/span>smartphone use<\/span><\/a> means it\u2019s particularly easy for teens and young adults to connect with online drug dealers. Lee said his narcotics recovery group is increasingly filled with younger South Koreans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFive years ago, we barely had any young members,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, they are the majority. Drug use among those in their twenties and thirties has rapidly increased.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Central to the wider availability of drugs in South Korea is Telegram, the messaging app of choice for dealers, who prefer the app\u2019s strong encryption and features that allow user anonymity, according to South Korea\u2019s prosecutor\u2019s office and <\/span>customs agency<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
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