1000 Chinese-made ‘Geotongpyeon’ Pills Smuggled... Three Arrested Including Defectors and Chinese Couple

A North Korean defector and a Chinese national couple were arrested by the police for smuggling and selling the Chinese narcotic drug ‘Geotongpyeon’ in South Korea.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency’s Security Investigation Division announced on the 25th that they had sent North Korean defector A (female, in her 50s) to prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and booked the Chinese couple B (male, in his 50s) and C (female, in her 50s) without detention.

According to the police, A is suspected of selling Geotongpyeon smuggled from China via SNS since November last year and possessing it at her residence. The police discovered 112 tablets of Geotongpyeon at A’s residence in Chungnam, seized them, and are currently investigating.

The Chinese couple B and C, who operate a Chinese grocery store, were arrested on the 1st for smuggling 1,000 tablets of Geotongpyeon from China and selling them via SNS since December last year.

The police explained that they found 940 tablets of Geotongpyeon at their store located in Gyeongbuk, seized all of them, and that each tablet was sold for 1,000 won.

A police official stated, “Geotongpyeon is a psychotropic drug commonly used as a painkiller in China and North Korea, but it is classified as a narcotic in South Korea. Possession, sale, or use of it can result in punishment under the Narcotics Control Act, with imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine of up to 100 million won.”

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