South Koreans Receiving Consular Aid for Overseas Drug Smuggling Triples

SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- The number of South Koreans who received consular support over their involvement in drug smuggling crimes overseas jumped around threefold in the past two years, a lawmaker said Sunday.

A total of 47 Korean nationals were cited for their involvement in illegal substance-related crimes last year, up from 16 in 2023 and 23 in 2024, according to data from Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party (DP). The original data was provided by the foreign ministry.

The increase was largely attributed to the number of Koreans who were caught while attempting to deliver drugs from Southeast Asian nations to countries in Europe.

By age, those in their 30s accounted for nearly half of the total, followed by those in their 40s and 20s. There were also five people in their 70s and two people in their 80s.

By country, 11 received consular support in Cambodia, followed by 10 in Thailand and nine in Japan. Those who received such support in Laos reached eight, followed by seven in China and Vietnam, respectively, and six in Britain and Turkey, each, according to the data.

The DP lawmaker called for vigilance against such crimes for tourists traveling overseas during the summer holiday season. He also asked the foreign ministry and the police to step up measures to prevent such cases.