Secretly Taken 'Pongdang Drug' Cases Increase but No Harsher Punishment... Law Bill Sleeps as National Assembly's Term Ends

Five Bills Pending in the National Assembly
Stronger Punishment Than Self-Medication 'Justified'
Experts Emphasize Need for Legal Revision

Crimes involving secretly spiking others' alcohol or beverages with drugs, so-called 'Pongdang drug' crimes, are occurring repeatedly. Recently, talent Lee Seon-gyun, who is suspected of drug use, also claimed that "the room salon manager secretly spiked my drink." A significant number of Pongdang drug offenders commit secondary crimes such as sexual assault or threats. Accordingly, there are many calls for heavier punishment. Since the 'Daechi-dong academy district drug beverage' incident in April, several revised bills to impose heavier penalties on Pongdang drug crimes have been proposed in the National Assembly, but discussions have stalled.

The scene when the suspects involved in the 'Daechi-dong Academy District Drug Drink' case last April were being transferred for the warrant hearing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Related crimes continue nationwide= According to the study "A Study on Korean Women's Experience with Narcotics" published by Professor Yoo Sang-hee of the Graduate School of Healing Counseling, among 136 women who participated in the prosecution's conditional suspension program with education in 2018, 12.5% started using drugs involuntarily without recognizing the substance. Cases of secretly consuming drugs mixed into alcohol or coffee accounted for 5.9%.

Gil Mo (26), the manufacturer and supplier of the drug beverage in the Daechi-dong academy district drug incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the first trial on the 26th of last month. In April, in the Daechi-dong academy district of Gangnam-gu, Seoul, he distributed drinks secretly mixed with methamphetamine to 13 students under the pretense of a free tasting event, and threatened the parents of six out of nine students who drank the beverage by saying, "I will report your child for drug use."

Last month, a man in his 60s was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for secretly mixing methamphetamine into a drink to a woman he met for the first time at a restaurant in Dong-gu, Incheon, with the intent to have sexual intercourse. Earlier, in March, professional golfer Jo Mo was sentenced in the first trial to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation and a fine of 600,000 won for deceiving a female colleague by giving her drugs disguised as a hangover cure.

◆Only bill proposals, no progress= According to the National Assembly Legislative Information System on the 8th, a total of five bills to strengthen punishment for Pongdang drug incidents under the Narcotics Control Act were proposed in the 21st National Assembly. Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party proposed a bill imposing a minimum of 3 years of imprisonment for those who administer or provide drugs against another person's will. Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party proposed a bill prescribing a minimum of 3 years imprisonment and specifying victim treatment and protection. Seo Il-jun of the People Power Party proposed a minimum of 2 years imprisonment, while Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party and Yoo Kyung-jun of the People Power Party proposed bills including provisions for aggravated punishment. Except for the bill submitted by Seo Young-kyo, the other four were all proposed after the Daechi-dong academy district drug beverage incident in April. However, these bills have barely been discussed in the Health and Welfare Committee as the National Assembly's term is nearing its end.

Current law does not specifically distinguish between self-administration and administration of drugs to others. The National Assembly Legislative Research Office stated in its March report "Issues and Tasks in Investigation, Prosecution, and Punishment of Drug Crimes" that administering narcotics to others not only causes physical and mental harm to the victim but also can be committed without the victim's awareness, so it is reasonable to punish it more severely than self-administration.

Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Dongguk University's Department of Police Administration said, "It should be explicitly stated in related laws that secretly administering drugs to others warrants aggravated punishment, so that it is more clearly reflected in judicial processing." Professor Oh Yoon-sung of Soonchunhyang University's Department of Police Administration criticized, "Lawmakers only propose bills when social issues arise and then leave them unattended until their terms end, causing the problem to worsen continuously."

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