[photo credit to pixabay]

The South Korean prosecution announced a firm stance on drug offenses involving minors.

Recently, the crimes involving minors have noticeably increased in number, for both victims and as perpetrators.

In response to this increased danger posed by narcotics, they said they would use the aggravated punishment provisions of the current law to seek the maximum sentences of life in prison and the death penalty for those who supply, sell, or distribute drugs to minors.

They also warned that no leniency would be shown to juvenile drug offenders, regardless of their age.

This lack of leniency is an unprecedented and drastic measure for South Korea as juvenile offenders are usually treated with more compassion and given lighter sentences than adults.

The prosecutors showed grave concern over the alarming increase in juvenile drug offenses as the reason for their decision.

According to their data, the number of juvenile drug offenders jumped by 304% in the last four years, from 119 in 2017 to 481 last year.

The proportion of teenagers among all drug offenders has also exceeded 2%, with figures of 0.95% in 2018, 1.99% in 2019, 2.84% in 2020, 2.09% in 2021, and 2.07% in 2022.

The prosecution analyzed this alarming increase as due to a change in the paradigm of drug dealing that allowed for easier access to drug transactions through the dark web or social networking services (SNS).

Traditionally, drug deals in South Korea were conducted discreetly among a select group of trusted individuals. 

However, with the recent introduction of non-face-to-face transactions on the internet drug deals are now highly accessible, even to minors.

Now with simple transactions, even toddlers can easily order drugs online and have them delivered to their doorstep. 

They also pointed out that the shift of drug dealing methods from offline to online has made it much easier for teenagers to access drugs since this age group is more adept at using the internet.

The statistics corroborate this claim, as the predominant age group of drug offenders in Korea has changed from the 40s in 2011 to the 20s in 2021.

Furthermore, the competitive nature of the drug market has also driven down the price of a single dose of methamphetamine to the value of "a plate of pizza," meaning that it can be easily purchased based on a teenager's budget level.

Recent studies are also pointing out that the effects of drugs are more harmful to teenagers than adults.

One study from Ewha Womans University’s Institute of Brain Convergence Science showed a comparative study indicating the brain damage caused by methamphetamine use in adolescents and adults.

They found that both groups had suffered thinner cortexes and damaged white matter in the frontal and temporal lobes, which are parts involved in memory and judgment.

However, adolescents had even more severe cortical thinning in other areas, such as the prefrontal and parietal lobes, which are involved in impulse control and decision making.

Another study from the US National Institute of Drug Abuse supported this finding by examining the rates of substance use disorder (SUD) among young people who had used cannabis, cocaine, or methamphetamine.

They reported that the younger group had higher SUD scores than the older group, revealing that they were more likely to develop addiction and dependence on drugs.

With the threat of narcotics now being apparent, South Korean society is keeping a keen eye on the prosecution’s move and their actions to curb the country’s drug epidemic.