Teens caught smuggling drugs already outnumber all of last year with months to spare

Drug smuggling among teenagers is spreading rapidly, with the number of minors caught smuggling narcotics through July already exceeding last year's full-year total.

Data obtained from the Korea Customs Service by Moon Jin-seog, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly's fiscal and economic planning committee, show that 16 people aged 19 or younger were caught smuggling drugs in the first seven months of this year.

Annual figures for that age group had remained in single digits for years — 2 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 4 in 2023 and 2 in 2024. The number climbed to 10 last year, and this year's tally has already surpassed that full-year figure.

Among all age groups caught smuggling drugs through July, people in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 303, followed by those in their 20s at 231, their 40s at 167, their 50s at 87, their 60s at 59 and their 70s at 33.

Seven people in their 80s and one in their 90s were also caught. Annual arrests of people in their 80s have remained in single digits every year since 2020.

Drug smuggling arrests of people in their 90s were limited to 2 in 2021 and 1 in 2024. With one more added this year, the seven-year total for that age group stands at four.

The trend toward younger offenders appears linked to the broader spread of drug use among teenagers — driven by misuse of narcotics for dieting or academic purposes, as well as recreational use to fit in with peer groups.

According to the Ministry of Justice, 456 people aged 19 or younger were booked on drug charges in the first half of this year, accounting for 4.1 percent of all drug offenders, which totaled 11,133. That share is up 1.2 percentage points from last year's full-year figure of 2.9 percent and is the highest since 2023, when it stood at 5.3 percent.

"This means children are being easily exploited for drug smuggling," Moon said. "We need to strengthen our capacity to intercept drugs at the border while at the same time building prevention systems in schools and at home so that children never come into contact with drugs from the outset."