[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Mandatory Drug Testing Before Military Enlistment

Ministry of National Defense to Implement 'Military Narcotics Management Improvement Plan'
Mandatory Narcotics Testing for All During Enlistment Physical Examinations

From now on, individuals scheduled for military enlistment must undergo drug testing during their enlistment physical examination. Until now, drug tests were conducted only if the individual reported a history of drug use during the enlistment physical or if the military doctor deemed it necessary, but this will be expanded to include all physical examination candidates.

Candidates about to enlist in the military must undergo a drug test as part of their enlistment physical examination.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 23rd, the Ministry of National Defense announced plans to implement the "Military Drug Management Improvement Plan," which includes adding and expanding drug testing in physical examinations for enlisted soldiers and active-duty personnel.

The military is expanding large-scale drug testing because drug-related crimes within the military have been increasing again since last year. According to data received by Seol Hoon, a member of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly from the Ministry of National Defense, the number of drug-related crime suspects in the military surged from 4 in 2020 and 5 in 2021 to 15 last year. This has returned to pre-COVID levels (12 in 2018, 15 in 2019).

Last year, the Army had the highest number of drug offenders with 12 cases, followed by the Marine Corps with 1, the Navy with 1, and the Air Force with 1. By rank, there were 2 majors and 1 sergeant among the officers, but the majority were enlisted soldiers with 12 cases. By drug type, marijuana was the most common with 7 cases, while methamphetamine and ecstasy (MDMA) were detected in 1 case each.

The military attributes the resurgence of drug crimes to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, which increased soldiers' leave, outings, and overnight stays. In March last year, Private A of the Navy was caught by police for using ecstasy and smoking marijuana while on leave, and Sergeant B of the Army was caught smoking and consuming marijuana and ecstasy purchased online at a nightlife establishment.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to add drug testing to the urine test items during the mandatory health checkups that all active-duty personnel must undergo at least once before discharge. In particular, drug testing will be conducted from the second half of the year for all officers scheduled for commissioning and those applying for long-term service.

The military will also thoroughly inspect items brought into the base via delivery or parcels to prevent drug inflow and strengthen the management of medical narcotics within the military.

A Ministry of National Defense official stated, "We will first carefully review the establishment of legal grounds through amendments to relevant laws to ensure there are no concerns about infringement of basic rights, and then proceed cautiously."

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