Seoul City to Crack Down on "Throwing" Drug Distribution on University Campuses with Intensive Inspections

Joint Inspections with District Authorities, Police, and Universities
Focus on Outdoor Air Conditioner Units and Meter Boxes
Online and Offline Campaigns with Playve

As the distribution of drugs using the "throwing" method spreads around university areas, Seoul City will conduct intensive inspections in cooperation with district authorities, police, and universities.

The city has designated the period from August 26 to September 30 as a special drug inspection period. The inspections will focus on blocking the "throwing" technique, in which drugs are hidden in specific locations in advance for buyers to retrieve later.

On the 26th, a joint inspection team consisting of Seoul City, district authorities, police, and health centers conducted an on-site inspection of the "drug throwing" incident near Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Provided by Seoul City

According to the Prosecutors' Office's "White Paper on Drug Crimes," the throwing method was first mentioned in 2023 and became prominent in 2024 through a university student club drug distribution case. It was confirmed that suspects, who formed a club of about 300 members centered around universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, purchased drugs using the throwing method for distribution and use.

The first intensive inspection took place at 10 a.m. on August 26 near Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Dongdaemun-gu. A joint inspection team of 15 members from Seoul City, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Dongdaemun Police Station, and Dongdaemun Health Center closely examined facilities suspected of being used for the throwing method, such as outdoor air conditioner units and meter boxes. The city plans to expand inspections to areas around Hongik University, Chung-Ang University, and Konkuk University.

The inspections will focus on facilities where drugs are frequently hidden. If thrown drugs are discovered, the police officers accompanying the inspection team will collect the substances directly and conduct investigations.

In addition, the city will run both online and offline campaigns to raise awareness among young people. A drug prevention campaign video produced in collaboration with the virtual idol group Playve will be shown on digital billboards in downtown Seoul, and related offline campaigns will also be carried out. Online, a participatory challenge will continue through September to encourage citizens to directly take part in the campaign.

Kang Jinyong, Director of Health and Medical Policy at Seoul City, stated, "Through these inspections, we aim to raise awareness among university students about the dangers of drug hiding methods and enhance preventive effects." He added, "We will fundamentally suppress offline drug distribution and, at the same time, implement thorough measures to block illegal online advertisements."

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