Teen drug offenders caught in Jan.-July near 80% of 2025 total

Teenagers were apprehended for drug offenses in South Korea between January and July, reaching 78.7 percent of last year’s annual total. Rep. Kim Jun-hyuk released Korean National Police Agency data showing 370 teenage suspects during the period, compared with 470 in 2025. Teenage drug offenses surged to 1,066 in 2023 before falling to 442 in 2024 and rising again last year.

Students accounted for 295 of the teenagers apprehended for drug offenses through July, equal to 63 percent of the 468 students apprehended last year.

The number of teenage drug offenders increased from 309 in 2021 to 294 in 2022, then rose sharply to 1,066 in 2023.

Overall drug-offender apprehensions totaled 10,626 in 2021, 12,387 in 2022, 17,817 in 2023, 13,512 in 2024 and 13,353 last year.

Police apprehended 8,426 drug offenders during the first seven months of this year.

Published Oct 7, 2026 11:31 am KST

The number of teenagers apprehended by police for drug-related offenses in the first seven months of this year reached nearly 80 percent of last year's annual total, a lawmaker said Wednesday, citing data from the Korean National Police Agency.

According to the police data released by Rep. Kim Jun-hyuk of the ruling Democratic Party, 370 teenagers were apprehended for drug offenses between January and July, equivalent to 78.7 percent of the 470 teenagers apprehended for such offenses throughout last year.

The number of teenage drug offenders stood at 309 in 2021 and 294 in 2022, but surged to 1,066 in 2023. It subsequently decreased to 442 in 2024 before rising again to 470 last year.

The total number of drug offenders rose from 10,626 in 2021 to 12,387 in 2022 and 17,817 in 2023. The number then fell to 13,512 in 2024 and 13,353 last year, while 8,426 offenders were apprehended in the first seven months of this year.

Students accounted for a significant share of those apprehended.

As of July this year, 295 students had been apprehended for drug offenses, or 63 percent of the 468 students apprehended last year.

今年1月至7月，韩国青少年因涉毒被捕人数达到去年全年总数的78.7%。韩国国会议员金俊赫公布了韩国国家警察厅的数据，显示该时期共有370名青少年嫌疑人被捕，而2025年这一数字为470人。青少年涉毒案件数量在2023年激增至1066起，2024年回落至442起，但去年再次上升。

截至 7 月，因毒品犯罪被捕的青少年中，学生占 295 人，相当于去年被捕的 468 名学生的 63%。

青少年毒品犯罪者人数从 2021 年的 309 人增加到 2022 年的 294 人，然后在 2023 年急剧上升到 1066 人。

2021 年毒品犯罪者总逮捕人数为 10,626 人，2022 年为 12,387 人，2023 年为 17,817 人，2024 年为 13,512 人，去年为 13,353 人。

今年前七个月，警方抓获了8426名毒品犯罪分子。

发布于2026年10月7日上午11:31（韩国标准时间）

一名议员周三援引韩国国家警察厅的数据称，今年前七个月因涉毒犯罪被警方逮捕的青少年人数已接近去年全年总数的 80%。

根据执政党共同民主党议员金俊赫公布的警方数据，今年1月至7月，共有370名青少年因毒品犯罪被捕，相当于去年全年因毒品犯罪被捕的470名青少年的78.7%。

2021 年青少年毒品犯罪者人数为 309 人，2022 年为 294 人，但 2023 年激增至 1066 人。随后，2024 年下降至 442 人，去年又上升至 470 人。

2021 年毒品犯罪者总数为 10,626 人，2022 年为 12,387 人，2023 年为 17,817 人。随后，2024 年下降至 13,512 人，去年为 13,353 人，而今年前七个月共抓获 8,426 名犯罪者。

被捕人员中，学生占了很大比例。

截至今年7月，已有295名学生因毒品犯罪被捕，占去年被捕的468名学生的63%。