Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday instructed relevant authorities to ramp up crackdowns on drug crimes to better track down increasingly sophisticated trafficking methods. "Drug problems make people sick and are closely linked to the underground economy," Lee said during a Cabinet meeting, calling for the mobilization of all available resources to combat drug crimes.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee highlighted that drugs are being smuggled not only by individual travelers but also through cargo containers. He mentioned cases where narcotics are dropped offshore near the southern island of Jeju, as well as via international mail deliveries. In response, Lee urged the Korea Customs Service to accelerate the implementation of his directive to reinforce personnel at regional postal distribution hubs to detect drugs concealed in mail, warning that "people are being contaminated."

Furthermore, Lee stressed the necessity of keeping a regular check on law enforcement officers exposed to narcotics during crackdown operations. This concern stems from reports that some senior police officers had defied drug tests. According to the National Police Agency, 893 senior police officers underwent drug tests without prior notice last year, and all tested negative. However, 18 officers refused to take the tests, stating they did not want to be treated as potential criminals.