"Increase in Drug Smuggling by Travelers... Expansion and Response with Millimeter-Wave Body Scanners"

177 Cases and 148kg of Drug Smuggling by Travelers Detected Last Year
58% Increase in Cases and 310% Increase in Weight Compared to Previous Year
Effective Drug Crackdown with 'Millimeter Wave Personal Scanner'
Expanded Installation at Airports and Ports Nationwide for Enforcement and Response

‘Millimeter-wave body scanners’ (hereinafter referred to as body scanners) will be increasingly installed at airports and ports nationwide. These body scanners use short millimeter waves with wavelengths of 1 to 10 mm to scan and detect concealed metal and non-metal items on the body within 3 seconds, making them expected to play an effective role in drug enforcement.

The Korea Customs Service announced on the 19th that it plans to expand the installation and operation of 13 body scanners at airports and ports across the country this year.

Currently, three body scanners are installed and operating only at Incheon Airport. This year, an additional 13 units will be introduced and installed?one each at Gimpo, Gimhae, Daegu, Muan, Jeju, and Cheongju airports; one each at Incheon and Gunsan; and two units at Pyeongtaek.

The expansion and operation of body scanners is being promoted to respond to the surge in travelers following the COVID-19 endemic and the increasing methods of concealing items on the body for traveler-based drug smuggling.

Last year, the Korea Customs Service detected a total of 177 cases involving 148 kg of drugs that air and sea travelers attempted to smuggle into the country. This represents a 58% increase in the number of cases and a 310% increase in weight compared to the previous year, showing a steady rise in traveler-based drug smuggling since 2019.

There is also a trend of increasing scale in drug smuggling through travelers. For example, the average weight per detected case was 178 g in 2020, slightly decreased to 162 g in 2021, then sharply increased to 323 g in 2022 and 837 g in 2023.

This is precisely why the Korea Customs Service aims to strengthen traveler-based drug enforcement by expanding the installation of body scanners at ports and airports nationwide.

To this end, the Korea Customs Service has secured a budget of 5.2 billion KRW this year and plans to purchase body scanners through competitive bidding via the Public Procurement Service and begin installation and operation within the year.

A Korea Customs Service official stated, “We will actively utilize the latest drug inspection equipment and establish a thorough drug enforcement network at border checkpoints to ensure that drugs are not smuggled into the country from the border stage.”

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