Detecting Drugs Like Mulppong and Ecstasy with a Single Test Strip

Development of Portable Drug Detection Kit Initiated Following 'Burning Sun' Incident
Research Achievements in One Year...Plan to Distribute Low-Cost Kits for General Public
Partial Technology Unveiled at Security Industry Expo

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A technology has been developed that can easily detect whether alcoholic beverages or drinks contain drug-like substances. It can be effectively used to catch criminals who have administered drugs that quickly leave the body after ingestion. Additionally, it is expected that ordinary people will be able to check for drug administration through a 'kit' incorporating this technology.

According to the National Police Agency on the 22nd, the police have been conducting research and development (R&D) on a "portable detection kit for the prevention of drug-related sexual crimes" since May last year. The research team, composed of industry, academia, and research institutes, succeeded in developing a core technology to rapidly detect narcotics within one year of starting development. The core is the "color-changing drug detection technology," which utilizes a chemical reaction with narcotics that changes color. When the test solution or test paper is added to normal drinks, it shows an orange hue or no reaction, but when added to drinks containing narcotics, it turns yellow.

Accordingly, the police decided to invest 8 billion KRW over three years to create a portable kit by 2022 that can detect drugs in beverages. The drugs that can be detected include 16 types such as GHB, commonly known as "water drug," methamphetamine (Philopon), MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and others. All of these are substances that have already been misused in crimes or are prone to misuse.

The impetus for this research was the "Burning Sun scandal," which attracted public attention last year. When allegations of drug-related sexual assault at a Gangnam club surfaced, the police conducted a three-month intensive crackdown on drug-related crimes, arresting 3,994 people and detaining 920. However, narcotics mainly used in sexual crimes have a short half-life, making post-incident detection difficult. It becomes challenging to confirm drug administration after some time has passed since the arrest of drug offenders.

The police plan to ultimately produce three types of portable kits. Notably, a kit for general public use will also be developed. The general public version will have simplified functions to quickly check whether narcotics have been added to alcohol or drinks. The police partially revealed the development results of this portable drug detection kit at the ongoing "2020 International Security Industry Expo." A National Police Agency official said, "If drugs in drinks can be detected in advance, it will greatly help prevent crimes," adding, "We also plan to produce low-cost distribution kits that are easy for the general public to use."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.