A Study on the Current Status and Response of Drug Crimes in Korea - Focusing on Maritime Drug Crimes -

In recent years, drug crimes do not stop at simple medication and abuse, but even tend to spread to secondary crimes(sexual crimes, don't ask crimes) after taking drugs. The government is also responding to drug crimes through various measures. However, as the government's crackdown intensifies, the methods have also become more diversified, and in recent years, attempts to smuggle marine drugs by ship are increasing. According to the Korea Coast Guard, the total number of marine drug offenders arrested in 2023 was 461, an increase of about 57% from 294 in 2022. As a case of drug smuggling through merchant ships, marine drug crimes have steadily occurred with 100kg of cocaine in Taean Port in 2019, 35kg and 100kg of cocaine in Busan New Port in 2021 and January 2024, respectively, and 28kg of cocaine in Onsan Port in Ulsan in April 2024. Recently, a total of 17 tea (茶) packaged drugs have been found, mainly in the northern and eastern coasts of Jeju Island. As such, the seriousness of the secondary social impact of the actual condition of drugs flowing into Korea through various maritime routes is emerging. The general public easily encounters the opportunity to access drugs, and if they are addicted to drugs, it can be said that the negative ripple effect on our society as a whole in the medium and long term beyond individual problems is very large. Therefore, in this paper, the concept and type of marine crime and marine drug crime and the representative methods of jettison, parasite, trading are explained, and due to the characteristics of the ocean, various characteristics such as cross-border, limitations, expansion, enlargement and difficulty in securing evidence are examined, and countermeasures are suggested. First, it is necessary to add and revise the actions of Article 3 of the Narcotics Control Act. In addition, investigations such as expanding the investigation budget, increasing manpower, and collaboration on marine drug crimes should be supported. In this regard, the system for supporting professional investigators who investigate marine drug crimes should be activated together to boost the morale of investigators by giving incentives for investigators to actually feel it. Next, it is necessary to recognize exceptions to trap investigations in marine drug crimes. Considering the special reality of hidden crime, exceptions to the controversy over trap investigations should be recognized and discussions related to trap investigations should be excluded. Finally, in order to conduct a smooth joint investigation to find the base of marine drug crimes, an investigation cooperation system such as information sharing should be established in advance through the dispatch and exchange of investigators between domestic and foreign related agencies.