South Korea online purchasing fuels spread among younger groups; online drug cases share climbs

Key Takeaways

• 1,206 detections of drugs disguised as e-cigarettes through September last year; 941 in 2022
• Detected drug types increased from 26 to 33 over the same period
• Police to implement special measures with eight agencies covering interdiction, enforcement, prevention/treatment, and international cooperation
• Psychotropic-drug offenders: 10,326 in 2024 vs. 10,896 last year; seizures 381 kg vs. 448 kg
• Online drug-offender share rose from 21.4% (2020) to 39.9% (last year)

2Firsts, Feb 11, 2026

According to the hankookilbo, detections of new drugs disguised as e-cigarettes reached 1,206 cases through September last year, a marked increase from 941 in 2022. The number of detected drug types also rose from 26 to 33 over the same period. Police said they will activate a government-wide cooperative framework to crack down on new drugs.

The National Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency said on the 11th that it will 추진 a special set of measures with eight agencies, including the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Korea Customs Service, to prevent the spread of new narcotics. The plan bundles measures covering interdiction of smuggling, domestic distribution enforcement, prevention and treatment, and international cooperation.

The report said the number of psychotropic-drug offenders increased from 10,326 in 2024 to 10,896 last year, and seized quantities rose from 381 kg to 448 kg. It also noted a trend in which new drugs disguised as liquid e-cigarettes or food products spread via online transactions and contactless delivery. The share of online drug offenders climbed from 21.4% in 2020 to 39.9% last year—nearly doubling over five years. Police said new drugs are spreading rapidly to younger age groups through the fast-growing online drug distribution market.

Because new drugs are often smuggled in from overseas, police said they will build a cooperative system with the Korea Customs Service to share smuggling and distribution information, linking investigations from the border stage through domestic circulation. With the Seoul Metropolitan Government, police plan to intensively monitor illegal advertising and sales channels in the online market to delete and block them. For misuse of medical narcotics, they also plan to share hospital and clinic information to enable swift enforcement.

Image source: hankookilbo