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This is a news blog for my Undergraduate Criminology class at Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea for Spring 2010.
Maëlig Le Delliou
ReplyDelete“W4 Bil. International Drug Ring Busted”
The article deals with the arrest of Koreans and Taiwanese involved in smuggling heroin from Thailand and Cambodia into Korea.
1st myth: Are victims users or non-users? Can drug consumption cause crime?
Heroin is an illegal drug in Korea which means that trafficking heroin or using it is illegal. It is highly addictive and has a high tolerance level: this can result in users engaging in criminal activities (thieving, assault) in order to obtain money (to buy the drug) or to directly obtain the drug. Actually, it is more likely that victims will be found among users themselves: overdose can result in death and unhygienic use can cause infection with hepatitis or AIDS. Also, it is said in the article that the drug ring used “couriers” who swallowed packets of drugs in order to avoid detection. This is highly dangerous for the couriers and has already caused the death of at least one of them.
2nd myth: Can increased accessibility and lower prices stimulate increased drug usage?
South Korea has a reputation for not having a real drug-abuse problem. The most popular drugs in Korea do not include heroin (apparently, it is more about methamphetamine, marijuana and “club drugs” such as LST, Ecstasy and ketamine). In the article, Korea is considered as a “transit” route from Third-World countries towards other countries, such as the USA. The drug ring saw Korea as an easier transshipment location for drug trafficking due to the authorities being less suspicious. The Korean authorities are thus becoming more and more worried about the phenomenon, thinking that increased accessibility and lower prices will contribute to increasing the domestic demand for drugs. Nevertheless, many studies have shown that even if they had easier access to drugs, few current non-users will switch to using drugs in the future.
I am not favorable to make heroin a legal drug, considering the danger on health and the addiction induced from its consumption. I think it is very important to control drug trafficking: the money could be used to finance other criminal activities, and there are many victims from that traffic (couriers, drug users, etc). The demonization of illicit drugs is sometimes unrealistic though.
(Part 2)
ReplyDelete------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Police have uncovered an international drug smuggling ring of 18 Koreans and Taiwanese living in Korea, which allegedly brought heroin into Korea worth 4 billion won using couriers who swallowed packets in order to elude customs officials.
According to officials at the Seoul and Incheon Metropolitan Police Agencies, Sunday, a Taiwanese man, identified as 51-year-old Wang, and nine others were arrested on suspicions of smuggling and selling a large quantity of heroin, which was harvested in Thailand and Cambodia.
[…] The police said that Wang smuggled a total of 1.3 kilograms of heroin into Taiwan in March. He is suspected of having smuggled a total of 4.9 kilograms of heroin into Taiwan and Korea.
Wang has allegedly recruited couriers, each paid 800,000 won to 3.2 million won, to swallow packets of heroin, primarily in condoms, before taking flights to Korea and Taiwan.
[…] Police say that the 4.9 kilos are worth 4.2 billion won in street value, with the amount of dope being large enough to give one dose to 170,000 users.
One of the Korean couriers, identified as Yoon, went into a coma when two bags of heroin ruptured inside his stomach last October. He was arrested by the police, after being alerted by the doctor who was treating him.
[…] Korea has been emerging as part of a key transit route for drug smuggling. Customs officials and police attribute it to increased police efforts in other countries.
They also say that the methods of smuggling have become more sophisticated, making detection harder.
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/117_57212.html
Valerie Raeymaekers
ReplyDeletePolice arrest five hagwon teachers
This article is about hakwon teachers in Seoul who have been apprehended for drug use and selling and faking university degrees to obtain their jobs. All of them are private school teachers and korean. When reading this article one can most certainly conclude that both drug consumption and trafficking cause other crimes or come coupled with other crimes. In this case, the 5 hakwon teachers mentioned were known to fake their degrees and the man named R., who is a korean-american, has murder charges against him back in the U.S. Since drug selling and possession is illegal it goes without saying that there is a crime present but in this case there are also fornication and murder charges attached to it. Wether this is the result or a coupled crime that comes with the use/selling of illegal drugs is not certain though. However I do feel that mostly, drug use and trafficking lead to other crime. The need for money to obtain drugs for instance, can be reached by robberies or prostitution. In the article there is a mention of the hakwon teachers selling drugs for 850,000 won per gram. An amount that usual drug users would not be able to cough up consistently. When trafficking, one also comes into contact with violence I believe. Non payment or the need for drugs can overrule the minds logic and if placed in a position, one would certainly violently try to obtain the drugs.
From some other articles I've read about drug use and trafficking in Korea it seems that the government is really trying to take measures, but mostly by focusing on foreign users instead of focusing on national users, a number that is increasing very rapidly. Maybe exactly due to strict policy against it. In the book the question of whether cheaper and more accessible drug obtainment would make drug use go higher. As an example I would like to use the Netherlands where soft drug use is legalized up to a certain weight. According to studies dutch cannabis use is in the lowest group in the EU despite it being legal and a very low rate of people become actual addicts. Maybe some part of the attraction of drugs is it's danger. When talking about hard drugs though I do feel that caution and control is necessary, since their degree of addiction and brain damage is so much higher.
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Five private English teachers have been arrested without physical detention for allegedly smuggling, selling and taking drugs and using fake university degrees to get their jobs.
The five hagwon teachers, all Koreans, including a man surnamed Lee, 26, and a woman named Park, 25, allegedly met up routinely in areas of Seoul including Gangnam, Sinchon and Hongdae in order to take marijuana and methamphetamine. Police said they have verified that the teachers sold the drugs to each other at about 850,000 won ($756) a gram; they are still investigating whether other sales were made.
In a separate criminal matter with ties to hagwon, a Korean-American male, R, 24, will be extradited back to the United States on charges of murder, the Seoul High Court ruled yesterday. R, a former Los Angeles gang member who was arrested in Korea last month for drug charges, allegedly stabbed a man to death on July 14, 2006, and fled to Korea four days later.
R was arrested late last month along with a second Korean-American former gang member for taking and selling drugs in Korea while they worked as English teachers. Both were charged with taking and/or selling marijuana and methamphetamine and using false diplomas to obtain employment.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2919168
ReplyDeleteSohhee (Sophia) Hwang
ReplyDeleteShin Hae-Chul Argued for Illegalization of Marijuana in MBC ‘100 Minute Debate’
I was fascinated that US government has been diligently working on reducing the supply of drugs. I had always thought that US government is relatively easy on that problem than Korea (strictly from personal experience in States…). I want to find out what means to Korean society, which is very strict on drug problems. In Korea, gateway theory (the claim that use of marijuana leads to use of other drugs) is the primary myth that objectors of drug use claim.
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가수 신해철이 10일 밤 방송된 MBC TV "100분 토론"에서 "누구에게도 대마초를 권유하지도 않는데 처벌 목적으로 개인의 권리를 국가가 과도하게 규제하고 있다"라며 대마초의 비범죄화를 강력히 주장했다.
Singer, Shin Hae-Chul insisted on the illegalization of marijuana by claiming that government is restricting people’s right in MBC TV “100 minute debate” aired on 10th.
이 자리에서 신해철은 "대마의 유해성과 중독성이 대단히 과장돼 왔으며 선입견과 환상이 심어져있다"면서 "물마시고 죽을 수도 있듯이 세상에 무해한 것은 없다. 다른 약재들에 비해 대마초를 과연 이렇게까지 처벌하는 것이 옳은 것인가"라면서 대마초 규제의 과도함을 주장했다…
Shin said that the harmfulness and addictiveness of marijuana has been exaggerated and prejudiced.
이날 토론의 또 한가지 쟁점이 된 사안은 대마초의 사용이 더욱 강력한 마약의 사용으로 이어진다는 관문이론.
Objectors insisted on the gateway theory, which claim that use of marijuana ultimately leads to use of other drugs.
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http://media.daum.net/nms/service/news/print/print_news?newsid=200503111234072
Shuying Mei
ReplyDelete"12 DJs, Club Owners Arrested for Drug Use"
This article talks about the arrestment of twelve people, including nightclub owners and DJs for their consumption of illegal drugs, as well as, the widening of the police’s investigation based on information that were gathered from other people who had participated in ‘parties' of illegal drug consumption.
According to this article, it seemed that the police were cracking down on low-level drug dealers and consumers as they may have probably believed in the myth of supply reduction mentioned in the textbook that intensive street-level enforcement will control drug use. However, the police relied only on information provided by people who were usually present at these‘parties', which I think is ineffective in reducing sales and consumption of illegal drugs.
This is because their reports may be inaccurate or intentionally falsified. They may not be able to remember much or they may choose not to be a betrayer to anyone so as to protect themselves. Questioning others will also not have any effect in reducing the availability of drug supply as it is almost impossible to track down the ‘big bosses’ who usually have a much larger control over the drugs trade and the supply of drugs. They are usually very careful in concealing their identities and whereabouts thus low-level drug dealers and consumers most probably would not have any information about them. Therefore, as long as the ‘big bosses’ remain scot-free, drug trade and consumption will continue to pervade society.
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10-29-2009 20:49
12 DJs, Club Owners Arrested for Drug Use
Twelve people including nightclub owners and DJs were arrested for consuming illegal drugs, police said Thursday.
The Yongsan Police Station said it arrested 12 people including two nightclub owners and booked 41 drug users. According to police, a nightclub owner, identified by his surname Kim, smuggled in marijuana and other illegal substances, and sold them to those frequently visiting his club.
They consumed the drugs in clubs located in Itaewon and Sinchon. Police are widening the investigation based on information from scores of other people, mostly children of affluent families who participated in “parties.”
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/include/print.asp?newsIdx=54532
JiHye Kang
ReplyDelete20% of Drug Addicts Have Suicidal Urges
This article represents a myth regarding drugs: the demonization of illicit drugs.
According to the first research on drug user life pattern by the Ministry for Health and Welfare, one of five drug addicts have attempted suicide in the past as a side effect of narcotics usage. Most of addicts who felt suicidal desires also had drinking and smoking issues besides the illegal drugs issues. It is mentioned that the alcohol and cigarettes can trigger the extreme choices but the article specified the illegal drugs as a main cause of suicidal desires: Serious side effects of illegal drugs make people want to die.
The research in the article claims that the usage of illegal drugs make people suffer from depression and anxiety which make people feel suicidal desires. I think they meant withdrawal symptoms of drugs and it is well known that drug users might feel depressed and nervous when they cannot get ‘high’. This claim is far-fetching. It is based on a myth that illegal drugs are addictive. But as the textbook explains, some illegal drugs like cocaine and marijuana are not addictive at all. The label of ‘suicidal catalyst’ does not fall on every drug. The article reinforces the myth by overstressing harmful sides of the narcotics which are not always true.
An interesting thing is that as the article proceeds, the percentage of drug users who felt the suicidal drugs disappears. We see 20% and one in five in first a few lines of the article. When the article directly deals with the causal relationship between drugs and suicidal urges, it almost generalizes that all drug users felt the same desires to end life, exaggerating the prevalence of epidemics.
While the article mainly focuses on the recurring drug myths of addictive qualities and mental side effects, it also points out the reality of drug treatment in Korea. Almost 90% of users wanted to get treatment but the half could not have access to professional help. The lack of social infrastructure to help rehabilitate worsens the problem. In addition, the article also problematizes the current approach to drug problem. It is true Korea needs a better approach in dealing with drugs. However, the grounds are weak. It is not only alcohol, cigarettes, and family matters that they start using drugs. The fact only 32.9% were married is not significant. Like the textbook says, we need to know why people use drugs. But it is much more complicated than what the research says.
Ironically, while the government is exaggerating the danger of illegal drugs with the research, it does not seem that it is coming up with the appropriate approaches. It is said that the ministry plans to hold an anti-drug campaign on the internet and places visited by drug addicts. But it is very questioning whether it will be successful enough to actually stop drug addicts from using drugs. It might be preventive but it will not solve any current ‘dire’ situation. If the Prosecutors’ Office is so much occupied by crackdown of the illegal drugs, at least the Ministry for Health and Welfare should launch constructive programs to deal with drug addiction rather than a questioning campaign. (for the sake of ‘health and welfare’) The absence of constructive rehabilitation and education programs and is not going to fix anything but only serves as a justification for more severe law enforcement on drugs.
ReplyDelete-------------------------------
About one in five drug addicts have attempted suicide in the past as a side effect of narcotics usage, the Ministry for Health and Welfare said Monday.
The majority of them also have drinking and smoking issues, too, which could trigger extreme choices, the authorities said, announcing the result of its first-ever domestic drug user life pattern research.
Professor Kim Dae-jin of the Catholic University of Medicine surveyed 523 people who have used illegal drugs, of whom 86 were receiving special treatment and 271 were incarcerated.
Kim found that most of them were over 30, and had finished high school if not further education too.
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/05/117_63695.html
Drug Smugglers Use Post Services
ReplyDeleteKorea times/ Aug 26, 2008
This article could be a little bit old, but I want to mention that this case might demonstrate the false of myth of supply reduction policy. This article is about drug import by international mail, or parcel and expree cargo services. According to Inchen Airport customs officers, there were 69 cases of drug smuggling using those ways in 7 month, and and it accounts 87.2% of all drug smuggling cases over same period.
-``Such delivery services are available even without disclosing real names or ID numbers as long as there are names and addresses. It seems to be a major reason for the steep increase of drug trafficking through these services,'' Lee Seung-kyu, a Incheon Airport Customs officer, told The Korea Times. -
This article clearly says that the myth in supply reduction, which is "Drug trade is a fixed & static market place" is wrong, and consequently, eradicate sources cannot be the tool of reducing supply amount of drug.
In the same article, they also mentioned about the decrease of marijuana due to Chinese Gov't's intensive investigation, but the volume of methamphetamine increased about 66%.
We can think that due to Gov't policy, there might be reduce of certain drugs for a moment, but anyhow people will find another sources (or route) to smuggling drugs, which again demonstrate that high investigation cannot be remedies of Drug uses.
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ReplyDeleteDrug Smugglers Use Post Services
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
International mail, parcel and express cargo services are emerging as the most sought-after routes for drug trafficking here.
According to Incheon Airport Customs Tuesday, customs officers detected 69 cases of drug smuggling using international mail or parcel services and six using express cargo service in the first seven months of the year, accounting for 87.2 percent of all drug smuggling cases detected over the period.
Customs foiled 86 drug smuggling attempts between January and July, confiscating 16.6 kilograms of hallucinatory substances worth 5.1 billion won ($5 million), up 18 percent in weight from a year before.
International mail and parcel services are run by government or state-backed firms, while express cargo services are mainly offered by private transportation service providers such as DHL and Fedex.
``Such delivery services are available even without disclosing real names or ID numbers as long as there are names and addresses. It seems to be a major reason for the steep increase of drug trafficking through these services,'' Lee Seung-kyu, a Incheon Airport Customs officer, told The Korea Times.
The number of attempts to smuggle in methamphetamine through international mail and parcel services dropped 14 percent from last year, while the volume detected increased 66 percent.
Marijuana consumption, once rampant at nightclubs and foreign communities here, is likely to lose its popularity. Authorities caught 37 cases of the smuggling between January and July, up from 32 a year earlier, but the seized quantity dropped 82 percent.
The customs office said China's intensified inspection of substances in international courier services contributed to the decrease in the smuggling.
Chinese authorities launched a full-scale investigation into drug trafficking ahead of the Beijing Olympics. In addition, Incheon Airport Customs has also instituted a tougher crackdown on smuggling. The office will team up with prosecution, police and the National Intelligence Service to counter drug trafficking.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/04/117_30030.html
Elizabeth Tang
ReplyDelete“U.S., Korea net dozens in drug trafficking sting”
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In short, the article is telling us about how prosecutors are zeroing in on Korean gangs involved in large-scale drug trafficking. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, cooperating with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, managed to detain 46 alleged smugglers and seize 307 grams of methamphetamine and 484 grams of marijuana brought into the country since last December. In addition, they detained three smugglers, including one surnamed Seo, 48, and put 12 other Korean gangsters and Japanese yakuza syndicate members on the wanted list on charges of allegedly smuggling drugs into Korea.
This article touches on the drug myth where the police/government concentrates on supply reduction by seizing drugs as they enter the country illegally. As seen in this case, it seems that the authorities were only able to uncover and link this illegal smuggling after they found 48.2 grams of methamphetamine inside international express cargo heading to Korea from Mexico via the United States. It also required joint effort in order to link the smuggling to the ‘main smuggler’. Thus, it is highly likely that there are still insufficient crackdown mechanisms in place.
Also, despite having nabbed 3 smugglers, it seems that the operation is much bigger, and even links to the Japanese yakuza which could mean that the drug crime is massive, thus begging the myth of how those caught could just be the smallest and least important operations. It is also a myth (from the previous chapter of organized crime) that organized crime is turning to other forms of crime for revenue, but it can be seen here that the drug trade is still thriving and is a lucrative source of income. The fact that the drugs smuggled were from Mexico could indicate that problems arising from a crackdown of drug growers in other areas has resulted in drug growers in Mexico to gain, which thus does not solve the supply problem eventually.
This also brings us back to the first half of the semester, where it was said that a sudden surge in arrest numbers related to drug offences may not mean that the drug industry has a sudden increase, but could be due to crackdowns related to political reasons, since there has been crackdowns to reduce illegal gambling and the sex trade as well.
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ReplyDeleteProsecutors are zeroing in on Korean gangs involved in large-scale drug trafficking.
In cooperation with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office last week detained 46 alleged smugglers and seized 307 grams of methamphetamine and 484 grams of marijuana brought into the country since last December.
Prosecutors did not elaborate on the total volume of drugs they believe the ring distributed.
In a separate case, prosecutors said Monday that they have detained three smugglers, including one surnamed Seo, 48, and put 12 other Korean gangsters and Japanese yakuza syndicate members on the wanted list on charges of allegedly smuggling drugs into Korea.
In early January, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration discovered 48.2 grams of methamphetamine inside international express cargo heading to Korea from Mexico via the United States. The drugs had been hidden inside a photo album.
Rather than immediately confiscating the cache, the DEA called the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul to confirm the drugs’ exact distribution route.
The countries agreed upon a joint investigation, and decided to allow the drugs to enter Korea and follow their trail.
Two weeks later, prosecutors arrested Seo, a gang member, on charges of smuggling.
After interrogation, prosecutors said they learned the trafficking was organized by a former Korean gang member surnamed Moon, 40. Moon lived in Los Angeles until he was deported from America in 2001.
Moon has allegedly smuggled methamphetamine into Korea from Mexico through a third country some 10 times since last October. Prosecutors cannot currently confirm Moon’s whereabouts, or whether he is currently in Korea at all.
Prosecutor Kim Ju-hyun said the crackdown follows recent intensified efforts to eradicate illegal gambling and the sex trade in Korea.
As those industries tightened, “The Korean gangsters have been creating new sources of income,” Kim said.
Kim also said that it is rare to see Mexican-made drugs smuggled into Korea, rather than to the United States and Europe.
In the past, gangs have used curling irons and steam irons to hide small amounts of drugs and deliver them through express shipment, prosecutors said. In addition, some drug runners enter Korea with the goods hidden in their underpants.
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http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2917305