Nearly Half of Drug Distribution Now Online... Half of Offenders in Their 20s and 30s

People in Their 20s and 30s Account for 56% of Drug Offenders
Online Drug Transactions Make Up 47.9%

A joint narcotics inspection team is conducting an intensive crackdown on 'drug throwing' using cameras in a university district in Seoul. August 26, 2025. Yonhap News Agency

In recent years, drug-related crimes have been steadily increasing, with a sharp rise in online drug distribution, particularly among people in their 20s and 30s.

According to data on "Drug Offense Crackdown Status for the Past Five Years" submitted by the National Police Agency to Assemblyman Park Junghyun of the Democratic Party of Korea on September 16, the number of drug offenders rose from 10,626 in 2021 to 12,387 in 2022, and 17,817 in 2023, showing an upward trend each year. Although the number slightly decreased to 13,512 last year, as of July this year, 7,998 people have already been apprehended, indicating that the level remains high.

By age group, among the total 62,340 individuals arrested over the past five years, those in their 20s accounted for the largest share at 20,861 (33.5%), followed by those in their 30s at 14,093 (22.6%). Notably, even 2,376 teenagers (3.8%) were apprehended.

A joint drug inspection team consisting of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Dongdaemun Police Station, and Dongdaemun Health Center is taking a commemorative photo before conducting a focused crackdown on "drug throwing" in a university area in Seoul. August 26, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In particular, "online drug transactions" via the internet, the dark web, and social networking services such as Telegram are spreading rapidly. The number of people apprehended for online drug offenses surged from 2,545 in 2021 to 4,505 in 2023, and as of July this year, 3,832 have already been caught. The proportion of online distribution in all drug crimes also increased from 24% in 2021 to 25% in 2022, 25.4% in 2023, and 31.6% last year. This year, it has soared to 47.9%, accounting for nearly half of all drug crimes.

Nevertheless, 12 provincial police agencies nationwide (Jeonbuk, Jeju, Gyeongbuk, Ulsan, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Daejeon, Daegu, Sejong, Jeonnam, and Gwangju) still do not have dedicated drug investigation teams at their local police stations.

Assemblyman Park emphasized, "As drug crimes are spreading deeply throughout society, comprehensive measures are needed, such as strengthening online monitoring systems and increasing the number of investigators."