Drug offenders top 20,000 for third straight year, with 3 in 5 under 30

The number of drug offenders in South Korea exceeded 20,000 for the third consecutive year in 2025, with those caught smuggling or manufacturing narcotics reaching a record high.

According to the "2025 Drug Crime White Paper" released Tuesday by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's drug and organized crime division, authorities apprehended 23,403 drug offenders last year. That figure represents a 15.2 percent drop from the 27,611 recorded in 2023, but still far exceeded the 20,000 mark.

A trend toward younger offenders was particularly pronounced. Those aged 30 and under accounted for 14,573 offenders, or 62.3 percent of the total, while teenagers numbered 674 — up 3.9 percent from 649 the previous year.

Prosecutors said drug crime patterns had shifted away from in-person transactions toward online, contactless deals conducted through the dark web and platforms such as Telegram, adding that the share of drug offenders aged 30 and under has been consistently rising as younger generations more comfortable with the internet and smartphones become involved.

Smuggling cases surged to 1,772 — a 57.4 percent jump from 1,126 the previous year and the highest figure since authorities began tracking crime-type statistics in 2000.

Prosecutors said that even when domestic distributors are arrested, overseas masterminds continue smuggling by cycling through new couriers and recipients.

Because most narcotics distributed and consumed domestically originate abroad, prosecutors called for stronger international cooperation to proactively block drug inflows at the source. In the first half of this year alone, customs authorities intercepted 767 drug cases totaling 1,007 kilograms at the border.

Foreign nationals arrested on drug charges also hit a record high last year, rising 2.0 percent to 3,298 from 3,232 the previous year.

The number of manufacturing offenders — nonexistent in 2005 — has climbed steadily, from four in 2010 to 10 in 2015, 19 in 2024 and 25 last year.