S. Korea gets tough on drugs as more young people get hooked

Surge in offenders, especially those in their teens and 20s, raises nationwide concern

- Chang May Choon

SEOUL Last October, when she was partying in the clubbing district of Itaewon, Michelle (not her real name) found herself vomiting, losing her balance and unable to focus after eating some Halloween gummies handed out to her on the street.

"It was a really weird feeling I've never had before - it felt like my body was not mine," the 23-yearold student from Mexico told The Sunday Times on condition of anonymity.

She managed to get home with the help of friends, but felt like "the world was spinning" when she got into bed.

She wonders if the gummies may have contained a date rape drug like GHB or ketamine. Some of these drugs are known to induce sudden nausea, vomiting and dizziness.

These drugs are used to incapacitate women to make it easier to assault them.

"It was Halloween so eating candy from other people is super common," said Michelle, referring to the American tradition of "trickor-treat", giving candy to children to avoid being pranked on Halloween.

South Korean police had warned that drugs disguised as candy could be distributed during Halloween festivities, but she did not see the news reports, which showed the candies to be avoided.

"I'm from a country where drugs are really common, so when I came to Korea, I was under the impression that it did not happen here," added Michelle, who attends a university in Seoul.

South Korea used to be largely drug-free. Drugs are banned here and citizens even K-pop stars can be jailed for up to five years for consuming drugs overseas where they are legal.

But illegal drug use and drug-related crimes have surged so much in recent years, especially among young people in their teens and 20s, that the government declared an all-out war on drugs this year.

The situation has "reached a point where it can no longer be tolerated", Mr Yoon Tae-sik, commissioner of the Korea Customs Service (KCS), said in February.