by Lee Sun-kyun, the “Parasite” actor who was found dead on Wednesday, was far from the only celebrity involved in South Korea’s latest anti-drug campaign.
Yoo Ah-in, the actor known for his roles in the 2018 film “Burning” and the 2021 Netflix series “Hellbound,” faces trial after testing positive for propofol, marijuana, ketamine and cocaine, authorities say . Several South Korean retailers have cut ties with the actor since the drug allegations became public. He is no longer listed as a cast member for the second season of “Hellbound.”
G-Dragon, the rapper and former member of the K-pop group BigBang, had been under investigation for possible drug use until police dropped the case earlier this month after he failed several drug tests. However, BMW Korea removed images of him from their online advertisements.
Recent accusations against high-profile artists here have highlighted the continuation of a strict anti-drug policy and attitudes in South Korea that have drawn a hard line against anything less than complete abstinence from drug use.
Some officials praise that toughness as critical to keeping drug use under control. But the policies have also been criticized by treatment experts who say authorities focus too much on punishment rather than rehabilitation.
“When you look at the data and the harsh sanctions that have been in place for decades, they haven’t worked,” said Gloria Lai, regional director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, an organization that promotes evidence-based research. Drug policies around the world. “And the cost on people’s lives is enormous.”
Since Mr. Lee’s death, police in Incheon, a city west of Seoul, who had questioned him on suspicion of using marijuana and ketamine, have been criticized for their treatment of Mr. Lee during the investigation, saying which was disproportionate to the severity. of the accusations against him.
Seongcheol Park, Mr. Lee’s lawyer, denied the drug charges and accused the police of violating rules on public disclosure of information. He said Mr. Lee had failed multiple drug tests.
Mr. Park added that the police had intensively investigated allegations that Mr. Lee had taken drugs, but did not take his claim that he had been blackmailed seriously enough.
“The process was insulting and humiliating to him, even though there was no evidence that he had used drugs,” Park said in a telephone interview. “While it is true that drug investigations are necessary, it is a problem when they go too far and do not follow procedures and protocols.”
Kim Hui-jung, Incheon police chief, defended the investigation at a news conference Thursday. He said his agency had acted appropriately and legally, “based on specific statements and evidence from informants.”
South Korea’s tough stance on drugs is in line with that of some other Asian countries. A drug conviction can carry the death penalty in China and Singapore. Japan and Taiwan have also maintained a minimum tolerance for drug use. The governments of Japan and Singapore have spoken out publicly against a strategy called harm reduction that has become more prominent in Western nations, Lai said.
“A harm reduction approach is controversial,” he said, “because you’re basically saying that even if someone continues to use drugs, you think they still deserve to be treated with care and have access to health services.”
South Korea stands apart from countries such as the United States, Canada and some in Europe, which approach drug use as a public health issue and not simply a criminal issue.
Still, South Korea’s anti-drug policies, combined with its geographic isolation, have helped keep drug use down, experts say.
But reports of trafficking and use have increased in recent years, although experts say it is difficult to obtain accurate data on drugs in South Korea due to stigma and fear of jail. Drug-related arrests, including for use and sale, rose to more than 17,000 this year from about 10,400 in 2019, according to official data. Among them, adolescents were the age group with the greatest growth, multiplying by six, from 160 to 1,000 arrests. It’s unclear whether that increase in arrests represents an actual increase in drug use, or whether stepped-up law enforcement is playing a huge role.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and officials in his politically conservative government declared a “war on drugs” after taking office in 2022, warning that drugs were becoming more accessible across the country. Celebrities have also led “just say no” campaigns on social media. Some talk shows have dedicated entire episodes to anti-drug programming.
The country’s latest crackdown and the rhetoric of Yoon and officials in his administration have echoed the “war on drugs” of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States, said Hyeouk Chris Hahm, a professor at the School of Sciences. Boston University Health. Social work.
“Cracking down with these harsh punishments and unreasonably long prison years will not be effective” in reducing drug use and overdose deaths, Professor Hahm said. “And we know that from the history of the United States.”
South Koreans can even be prosecuted upon returning home for using drugs outside the country. Once convicted of illicit drug use, a person may be required to complete a mandatory educational program run by the Ministry of Justice, or be imprisoned, said Yoon Hyunjun, a drug policy expert at Sogang University in Seoul.
TO prison sentence It can range from six months to four years, depending on the type of drug. For trafficking, the sentence can be up to 14 years.
Drug treatment experts say the country’s focus is too much on punishment. The mandatory educational program that offenders follow is not individualized enough for each person’s needs and does not provide a sustainable plan to overcome addiction, Ms. Yoon said. While the government has called for more rehabilitation clinics for drug users, they remain far fewer than those for alcoholics.
“In our country, drug rehabilitation is seen less as an effort to overcome addiction than as a punishment,” Ms. Yoon said. “People’s mentality is strictly focused on punishment.”
But public policy experts warned that addressing drug use only punitively fails to curb drug use, addictions and overdose deaths.
“It has to go hand in hand with education, culture change and good addiction treatment infrastructure,” said Jimi Huh, a professor of public health at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. “Having a solely punitive policy is not going to be enough.”
