Customs Agency Reports Rise in Drug Seizures Amid Enhanced Surveillance
South Korea's customs agency has reported a significant uptick in drug seizures, attributing the increase to enhanced surveillance measures and international cooperation. According to Yonhap News, the Korea Customs Service (KCS) has seized 3,233 kilograms of drugs since June 2025, the start of the Lee Jae Myung administration, across 1,181 busts from June 2025 to April this year. This marks a fourfold increase in the volume confiscated compared to previous periods.
The agency highlighted that the increase was made possible by tightened surveillance measures, including inspections of international parcels at local post offices that had already undergone screening at airports and seaports. In addition, South Korea has carried out joint inspections with Thai and Cambodian authorities to intercept potentially dangerous narcotics at the source before they are smuggled into the country.
Coverage Comparison
In a separate announcement dated May 28, the KCS reported seizing 1.1 kilograms of illegal drugs since launching a tighter surveillance program on international mail two months prior. The program, initiated in April, subjects international mail to additional X-ray screening at postal logistics centers after an initial inspection. The agency noted a growing number of drug smuggling attempts through international mail and increasingly sophisticated concealment methods, prompting the adoption of a more thorough monitoring system among airports, seaports, and mail distribution centers.
The customs agency seized synthetic drugs, marijuana, and codeine in three separate cases, reflecting the effectiveness of the crackdown. Additionally, the agency detected 1.5 kilograms of illicit drugs at the initial screening stage under the same surveillance program.
Data from the Office for Government Policy Coordination, as reported by Yonhap, indicates that the government rounded up a total of 23,403 drug offenders through special crackdowns last year. The number of online drug offenders arrested and drugs seized since President Lee Jae Myung took office has reached all-time highs. By agency, the prosecution booked 765 drug offenders and formally arrested 217 of them between June last year and March of this year, seizing 1,042 kilograms of drugs during the same period. Police apprehended 5,385 offenders through special teams dedicated to drug crimes, while also rounding up 12,774 individuals through special crackdowns focused on new types of drugs and drugs for medical purposes.
The customs agency detected 3,233 kilograms of drugs at the border in 1,181 cases for 10 months since Lee took office, an all-time high representing a 307 percent increase from the same period of last year. The Coast Guard also apprehended 129 offenders through intensive crackdowns, including hull inspections using underwater drones, and confiscated 29,121 poppy plants, while the food and drug administration uncovered 44 cases of abuse of drugs for medical purposes, including propofol.
Key Claims
- South Korea has seized 3,233 kilograms of drugs since June last year, with seizures made in 1,181 busts from June 2025 to April this year, marking a fourfold increase in volume confiscated.
- The Korea Customs Service has carried out joint inspections with Thai and Cambodian authorities to intercept potentially dangerous narcotics at the source.
- The customs agency has seized 17 firearms and 331 rounds of ammunition.
- The Korea Customs Service has detected 949.4 billion won (US$627 million) worth of illegal exports disguised as South Korean products, along with illegal shipments of strategic items worth 258.1 billion won, such as drones and their accessories.
- The government rounded up a total of 23,403 drug offenders through special crackdowns last year, with the number of online drug offenders arrested and drugs seized reaching all-time highs since the inauguration of President Lee Jae Myung.
- South Korea has seized 1.1 kilograms of illegal drugs since launching a tighter surveillance program on international mail two months ago.
- The Korea Customs Service will expand investment in applying cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, to root out drug smuggling.
Lee Jong-wook, commissioner of the agency, emphasized the agency's commitment to generating outcomes that can be felt by the public and thoroughly protecting borders so that no hazardous material can enter the country. He also noted plans to expand investment in cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, to root out drug smuggling, and to tighten surveillance on all import channels, including express deliveries and travelers, establishing a multi-layered monitoring system.