A prosecution official prepares a briefing on the prosecution's countermeasures against growing narcotics crimes at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) in Seocho District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

Prosecutors announced the creation of a special investigation squad against narcotics to tackle mushrooming drug crimes in the country, Friday. The announcement is followed by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon's order Thursday for prosecutors to do their "utmost with the determination to go to war (against drugs)."

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) said, Friday that it will operate four special investigation squads for narcotics in four high prosecutors' offices: the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (DPO), Incheon DPO, Busan DPO and Gwangju DPO.

The prosecution will team up with relevant government bodies, including the Korea Customs Service, the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Communications Commission, as well as local governments.

The primary target includes the large-scale smuggling of drugs, the illegal distribution of pharmaceuticals and the illegal trafficking of drugs via the internet. The prosecution said a prosecutor exclusively in charge of narcotic crimes will supervise investigations on the smuggling, distribution and use of drugs across the country.

The prosecution also plans to work with the health authorities to provide treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts.

According to the prosecution, the number of drug offenders caught this year from January to July reached 10,575. The figure is an all-time high, having climbed 12.9 percent from last year's 9,363 during the same months. A total of 1,295.7 kilograms of drugs was confiscated this year, which is an eightfold increase from 2017's 154.6 kilograms, the SPO data showed.

Also, the age of drug offenders has gone down. The number of adolescent drug offenders increased five times from 2011's 105 to 494 last year. Over half, or 56.8 percent, of drug offenders caught in the first half of this year are in their 20s and 30s.

The prosecution office attributes the dramatic surge to diverse methods of contactless transactions with high security via the dark web, messenger apps and cryptocurrency which have become available, as well as the increased inflow of cheap medical drugs and overseas products.

The SPO pledged to undertake special investigations to protect the country from narcotic crimes and make Korea a drug-free nation.

To be declared a drug-free nation, the yearly number of drug offenders should be less than 20 for every 100,000 people, or 0.02 percent of the population. Korea lost this status as the number of drug offenders surpassed 10,000 per year in the first half of 2022.

According to the justice ministry, the country's drug market has grown and international drug organizations have been pointing to Korea as a major target and stopover for global trafficking.