Song-Hee Lee*
1. The need for social rehabilitation services for drug addicts in South Korea
Recently, the number of drug users has been increasing rapidly in many countries, including South Korea and Sweden, and the issue of drugs has become a major social issue, with the South Korean government declaring a ‘war on drugs.’ According to the Ministry of Justice of South Korea, the number of drug offenders reached 9,984 in 2014 and increased to 27,611 as of December 2023.[1]
Drug-related crimes, especially among the younger generation, are on the rise in South Korea. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the public’s perception of the seriousness of drug-related crimes in 2020, the 20-something generation has the lowest level of awareness of the seriousness of drug-related crimes.[2] In addition, the side effects of illegal, excessive, and redundant prescription of medical drugs in Korea were also found to be serious, with one in 2.7 Koreans reporting that they had used anesthetics, painkillers, and appetite suppressants.[3] This phenomenon indicates that the level of recidivism among drug users in Korea has reached a point where criminal punishment alone is no longer sufficient and suggests the need to strengthen policies on prevention, treatment, and social rehabilitation for drug addicts.
This study aims to examine the current status and reality of drug addicts in South Korea, which has been increasing recently, and to suggest relevant policies and social rehabilitation services for drug addicts in Korea, as well as some implications for drug addiction prevention and social rehabilitation in Sweden in the future.
2. Current Status of Drug Addicts in Korea
Current Status of Drug Addicts
According to the “2023 White Paper on Narcotics Crime” by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of Korea, the number of drug offenders in Korea was about 10,000 from 1999 to 2002, during the IMF crisis in Korea. However, the number of people who have used drugs has increased to 11,916 since 2015 and has continued to increase since then. The main reason for this increase is believed to be the creation of an environment in which not only people with a history of drug use but also the general public who have never used drugs can easily purchase drugs using the Internet and social media.
For this reason, the number of young South Korean drug offenders in their 20s and 30s has been increasing recently, and as of December 2023, they accounted for 54.5% of all drug offenders. Moreover, the number of drug criminals is on the rise as the supply of drugs through illegal online platforms is becoming more active, with South Korean teenagers also easily purchasing drugs through the darknet.[4]
Drug Offenders’ Recidivism and Causes of Crime
Drug addiction is highly likely to recur after a single drug use, and as of 2021, the recidivism rate for drug offenders in South Korea was 36%, 35.0% in 2022, and 32.8% in 2023. The reason for this high recidivism rate is that opportunities for treatment and rehabilitation are not provided adequately and are not sufficient.[5] Looking at the status of drug-related crimes in South Korea in 2023 by cause, the highest percentage of cases of cannabis were caused by addiction (18.4%) and curiosity (15.6%), excluding other causes, and the highest percentage of cases of drugs were caused by curiosity (19.2%) and unknown reasons (11.0%). Therefore, it is expected that depending on the type of drug, the content of education and the approach to education will need to be organized according to the cause when designing future prevention education and programs.
3. Drug-related policies and social rehabilitation services in South Korea
Drug-related laws and policies in South Korea
Until the 1990s, the South Korean government mainly focused on supply control policies and promoted policies emphasising strong punishment. As a result, South Korea has enacted the Narcotics Control Act, the Special Act on Prevention of Illegal Trade in Narcotics, the Criminal Act, and the Act on Aggravated Punishment, etc. for Specific Crimes, which are representative of the laws and regulations related to narcotics in South Korea. And since the late 1990s, when the problem of drug addiction in South Korea emerged as a serious social issue, the government has been trying to come up with comprehensive measures, including demand suppression policies, at the government level, such as forming the “Drug Countermeasures Council,” a council under the Prime Minister (Prime Minister’s Decree No. 739, April 25, 2019).
However, medical institutions for drug addicts in Korea are inadequate. Although the number of drug treatment and protection institutions has expanded to 24 as of 2023, the number of designated beds has only reached 292.
Case of drug addiction rehabilitation service support[6]
Currently, the representative organization in Korea that helps drug addicts in their social rehabilitation is the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters. The Korea Anti-Drug Movement Foundation was established on April 22, 1992, by the Korean Pharmaceutical Association in the form of a foundation.
The foundation is based on Article 51-2 of the Narcotics Control Act, and in accordance with this, it carries out activities such as public relations, enlightenment, and education for the prevention of narcotics and drug abuse, research and studies, treatment and rehabilitation, social welfare for reintegration, international exchanges with international non-governmental organizations and groups, establishment and operation of counseling centers for narcotics and drug abuse, operation by experts and volunteers. The main projects include the healthy development and protection of children and adolescents, education programs for the professionalization of women’s workforce, and other tasks delegated by the Minister of Food and Drug Safety regarding the management of narcotics. In particular, since 2024, the organization has been playing various roles to expand the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters’ Addiction Rehabilitation Center nationwide.
As drug abuse has been on the rise recently, the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters has established 17 addiction rehabilitation treatment centers (Together One Step Centers) across the country by 2024. These centers were established to implement a “judicial-treatment-rehabilitation linkage model” that supports the reintegration of drug offenders into society. The center provides psychological support programs such as recovery support programs and recovery experience counseling for all those in need of help with drug addiction. It also provides a customized social rehabilitation program for addicts and offers a monitoring service for drug-free management after the program. In addition, it offers a program for the families of drug addicts. It also provides services in cooperation with treatment hospitals, residential facilities, and related organizations in the region. The organization operates a 24-hour drug helpline to help people experiencing drug problems receive support.
4. Recommendations
Currently, South Korea’s drug policy is in the introduction stage. Until now, South Korea’s drug policy has been focused on crackdowns and arrests, and although some policies for rehabilitation have been put in place, they are still insufficient. However, based on South Korea’s efforts to address the growing drug problem in the country, I would like to reflect on some lessons learned from Korean experience.
First, intensive drug prevention education is needed for the younger generation, especially high-risk youth, in various ways, including online and offline. And for those who have experience with drug use, social rehabilitation programs need to be established so that treatment and rehabilitation services can be provided early. As drug abuse is on the rise in South Korea, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety are focusing on training drug addiction treatment specialists, which is yet another step towards better education and training of specialists, necessary all over the world.
Second, for drug users, multidimensional policies should be established to help them with treatment, rehabilitation, and social adaptation. In South Korea, treatment, education, and rehabilitation counseling for drug users are provided at centers across the country, but educational and counseling programs for their families are still lacking. In addition, although the focus is on training experts in narcotics, it has been pointed out that there are no additional support measures for the treatment or working environment of professional personnel.
In the case of Sweden, it is understood that drug-related information and prevention education are provided by various organizations, including the Public Health Agency and local governments. Treatment and social rehabilitation services for drug addicts should be provided to drug users, their families, experts, and community service providers to prevent recidivism and promote social integration. Therefore, policies should be promoted and services should be provided in cooperation with various authorities, local governments, and private institutions. To this end, support policies such as improved treatment and incentives for multidisciplinary professionals should also be put in place.
* Song-Hee Lee is a Research Fellow and Ph.D. in Social Welfare Policy Research Center at Seoul Welfare Foundation.
[1] Supreme Prosecutors Office. 2023 Drug Control in Korea; Supreme Prosecutors Office: Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2024.
[2] Lee, S.H., Baik, H. and Kim, J. W. Comparison of Seoul’s Drug Addiction Policy and Social Rehabilitation Service Development with Overseas Cases; Seoul Metropolitan City Seoul Welfare Foundation: Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2023.
[3] Baik, H., Kim, S., Hong, H., Lee, J., Shin, Y. J. Exploring the Influencing Factors of Entry into Social Rehabilitation Services through the Recovery Support Experience of Recovery Counselors Working in the Area of Drug Rehabilitation Services : Using Focus Group Interview. J. Korea Contents Assoc. 2023, 23, 610–620.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Lee, S. H., Baik, H., Kim, J. W. Comparison of Seoul’s Drug Addiction Policy and Social Rehabilitation Service Development with Overseas Cases; Seoul Metropolitan City Seoul Welfare Foundation : Seoul,Republic of Korea, 2023
[6] Korean Drug Prevention Headquarters homepage (2025), https://www.drugfree.or.kr/
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