South Korea’s drug war, tough on stars, but no rehab paths
On World Drug Day, a well-known South Korean journalist and former addict, Huh Jae-hyun, spoke out against a short-sighted war on drugs that marginalises rather than reintegrate in society. While local media chase after celebrities accused of drug abuse, the number of young users explodes.
Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Today the world marks the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, a very hot topic in many parts of Asia, where repression seems to override all else, like seeking the causes and the economic interests that lie behind the criminal networks that thrive thanks to drug addiction.
This morning, Leo XIV spoke about the issue when he met in the San Damaso courtyard in the Vatican groups of former drug addicts committed to offering concrete ways to free people from this enslavement.
“Too often,” the pontiff said, “in the name of security, war is waged against the poor, filling prisons with those who are merely the final link in a chain of death. Those who hold the chain in their hands instead manage to gain influence and impunity. Our cities must not be freed of the marginalized, but of marginalization; they must be cleared not of the desperate, but of desperation.”
On this same day, Huh Jae-hyun, a South Korean journalist and two-time recipient of the Amnesty Korea Media Award, gave an interview to the Korea Times.
In 2018 news of his drug addiction led to his dismissal and social exclusion, which continues despite successfully overcoming his addiction.
Huh defines as a short-sighted, the war being waged in South Korea, which targets addicts but ignores the causes of their addiction. In fact, drug abuse and associated crimes continue to rise in the country, especially among young people.
In South Korea, celebrities are at the centre of the war on drugs, precisely because of their fame. Media are quick to jump on any rumour, even violating the rules on public disclosure of information.
Local public opinion is particularly outraged by such accusations and the way they are reported, irreversibly damaging celebrities’ reputation.
When accusations are well founded, those involved complain of the total lack of support for people to get clean, not to mention the impossibility of reintegrating society.
In December 2023, actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in Parasite where he played the father of the wealthy Park family, took his own life while investigations were underway for alleged use of marijuana and ketamine. According to his lawyer, Lee had tested negative for drugs and the investigation was far too intense given the accusations.
Another example is that of Burning actor Yoo Ah-in, who was able to return to work only after several years. Or rapper G-Dragon who was removed from BMW South Korea’s ad campaign even though his case was dismissed.
Drug use angers public opinion all over the world, but in South Korea the stigma is stronger. In the United States, for example, Robert Downey Jr., once he overcame his drug addiction, worked in Iron Man, and returned to being a world-famous actor.
The government’s strategy in its war on drugs is to target addicts, especially if they are well known. This method is not only morally questionable; it also raises questions about its effectiveness.
Drug use in South Korea is rising rather than decreasing. According to a local newspaper, DongA Ilbo, the estimated number of drug users in the country reached 400,5300 in 2024, up from 326,970 in 2023 and 246,300 in 2019.
Although the numbers are still low compared to other Western countries, the pace of growth is worrying, especially in young people. More than half of the users in 2023 were aged 20 to 30.
Some observers link the high rate among young people to South Korea’s school system, known for extreme competitiveness and constant pressure. In a context where failure is not an option, drugs become a way for some to escape from an unbearable daily life.
It is no accident that the country also recorded a high number of suicides among teenagers, many of whom had a history of drug use and may not have received adequate psychological support.
Furthermore, the use of legal drugs to improve school performance, or treat disorders like attention deficit or hyperactivity, is spreading. Excessive consumption of these drugs, which require a medical prescription and are regulated by the government, is caused by failures in the healthcare system.
South Korea’s healthcare network is largely made up of independent doctors and pharmacists who often overprescribe drugs due to poor controls, and, in some cases, driven by profit. Until 2024, hospitals were not even required to check a patient's prescription history.
Social inequalities also play an important role. Like the opioid crisis in the United States, poverty and drug addiction go together and feed off each other. Drug addicts lose their job and become marginalised, triggering a vicious cycle of poverty, addiction, unemployment, and exclusion.
Government authorities are aware of this crisis, but have offered very few concrete measures to help drug addicts, opting instead for a punitive strategy and harassment of celebrities.
Suh Myung-ok, a member of the People’s Power Party, which recently lost power, has called the funding for treatment facilities insufficient.
According to The Straits Times, the government has increased the budget for drug control, but not for treatment.
Thirty-one drug treatment facilities have been set up, but nearly half are not fully functional, while 13 have not treated anyone due to a lack of experienced medical staff.
In South Korea, drug use is still seen as a personal failure rather than a social problem. As a result, drug users are isolated rather than helped or given support.
There is a lack of support networks, prevention policies and a targeted approach to the root of the problem.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
