On Sept. 25, the first case of a body-packer, a smuggling technique in which drugs are stored in one’s body, was found dead in Yongsan-gu, a testament of increasing drug trafficking in South Korea. Later on Oct. 13, police confirmed that the 50-year-old man had died due to ecstasy intoxication, a type of hallucinogen, as he had 79 punctured bags of ecstasy in his body along with 130 unpunctured bags, which he trafficked from Malaysia. 

Among the many ways to traffick drugs, body-packing is the most dangerous, as it involves individuals swallowing the narcotics to store inside their stomach, intestines, and throat. This is extremely dangerous as even a slight cut or exposure to the drugs can instantly kill the traffickers due to acute drug intoxication. This highlights the danger of drugs that threaten the safety of Korean citizens.

“I think drugs are not only deadly for our health, but it is also bad for society in general” Nancy Koo (12), health advocate, said. “Obviously drugs are addictive and cause death, but it also makes a community more dependent on drugs. For example, developing nations often have lots of addicts and normalize drug usage.”

Police forces have found that the body-packer found last month did not have traces of drugs from his hair, which meant that he was not a drug user himself. In other words, the body-packer probably was only distributing the drug. 

This incidient shows that South Korea, formerly known for its low drug usage and trafficking rates, now can not be considered a drug-free country. Cocaine trafficking has increased by 3300% in the past 5 years, from 136g exposed in 2017, to 448kg in 2021. Many speculate that the lack of job opportunities and inflation for the young generation force them to turn to drugs. The increased drug usage in South Korea now means that Koreans should also be aware of the implications of drugs and learn the seriousness of them.