10 Times More Sensitive to New Drugs... Government Announces Introduction of Advanced Equipment

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Allocates 2.84 Billion KRW for Analytical Equipment Budget
National Forensic Service Plans to Develop 'New Psychoactive Substances Detection Platform'

Response to new types of drugs, which have been rampant after being illegally smuggled from overseas and distributed domestically through social networking services (SNS), will become faster.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 16th that it has allocated a budget of 2.84 billion won to purchase new drug analysis equipment and will introduce a total of four advanced devices to the National Forensic Service (NFS) this year.

Unlike in the past when methamphetamine and marijuana dominated the drug scene, new types of drugs accounted for about one-quarter (approximately 24.7%) of the drugs detected by the NFS in the first half of last year, indicating a significant change in drug trends. The high-resolution and ultra-high-sensitivity mass spectrometers to be introduced this year are among the highest-spec equipment currently available, with the ultra-high-sensitivity mass spectrometer having about ten times the sensitivity of the devices currently held by the NFS.

The NFS plans to develop a ‘New Drug Exploration Platform’ aimed at detecting and blocking new types of drugs through ongoing research projects.

Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety, stated, “We will do our best to alleviate public anxiety caused by drugs and create a safe Republic of Korea,” adding, “We will actively respond to new types of drugs by utilizing advanced equipment.”

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