Exposure of student ‘drug ring’ sparks Korean soul-searching

The arrest of a group of students from some of South Korea’s most prestigious universities for suspected possession and trafficking of illegal drugs has sparked debate about substance abuse on campuses in a country proud of its drug-free reputation. 

According to The Korea Herald, “dozens” of university students were arrested at the beginning of August after authorities reportedly uncovered a drug ring run by a master’s student at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

Prosecutors alleged that the student had set up an exclusive club made up of his wealthy peers from various Seoul-based universities in 2021, with the group quickly escalating from taking illegal substances at social events to distributing drugs and trafficking them across borders in the manner of a criminal organisation. 

The club’s members included students from prestigious universities, including Seoul National University and Korea University, local media reported. The alleged president had graduated from Yonsei University. 

South Korea has strict anti-drug laws, which have managed to keep levels of drug use relatively low. However, this is changing as more students are found to be taking drugs: data shows that 1,347 students were identified by authorities as possessing or using illegal drugs in 2023, up from 241 in 2019. 

“It is presumed that the main factor contributing to this trend is the rise in international delivery services,” said Tae Kyung Lee, director general at Bugok National Hospital.

Japanese universities faced a similar scandal last year, after a spate of arrests involving students suspected of possessing cannabis, culminating in the dismissal of the vice-president of a leading university. 

While the incident has led Korean authorities to vow to take “stern action” against drug offences, others suggest that the underlying reasons students seek out drugs may be down to the country’s high-pressure academic and work environments. 

“Koreans are on edge, and depression [and] anxiety rates are high. It’s a dog-eat-dog society,” said Theodore Jun Yoo, associate professor in the department of Korean language and literature at Yonsei University. 

“I can see why the youth are turning to drugs. Everything is competitive here; it’s almost like you are inviting people to find a reason to want to smoke weed.”

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has now announced it will begin delivering drug prevention education to university students – an intervention previously reserved for school-age children. 

According to local media, authorities will organise lectures in languages including Korean, English, Chinese and Russian, as well as operating drug prevention booths during university events and holding “drug awareness video contests”. 

“It’s our first time developing programmes tailored to students’ interests. We expect wide participation from college students,” one government official told The Korea Herald.

But others were sceptical about how valuable this will be. “I think what would help is for Korea to tighten up its punishment of offenders. Not the casual smokers, but real criminals and distributors,” said Dr Yoo. 

“I think there is also a need not to get too worked up about the recent incident. Maybe this will scare college students to be more careful.”

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com