NIS to Host "Asia Drug Information Cooperation Organization" General Assembly in Seoul

The National Intelligence Service’s Transnational Crime Information Center (TCIC) announced on September 15 that it will hold the 2nd General Assembly of the "Asia Drug Information Cooperation Organization" in Seoul on September 16, with the participation of seven major countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

This General Assembly marks the second meeting since the official launch of the cooperation organization last February, which brought together five Southeast Asian member countries (Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) and their respective drug enforcement agencies. This year, the organization is expanding its participating countries to include Malaysia and Singapore, aiming to strengthen information cooperation to block the inflow of drugs not only from the Asia-Pacific region but also from around the world.

During the assembly, member countries are scheduled to sign a "Cooperation Agreement" and hold sessions discussing the organization’s achievements to date and future operational plans. In particular, in line with the government’s policy to eradicate crimes that threaten public safety and property, such as drug offenses and voice phishing, the assembly will focus on joint tracking strategies against overseas criminal organizations targeting South Korea.

So far, participating agencies have achieved meaningful results through a multilateral cooperation system, including real-time information sharing and joint tracking when transnational drug crimes occur. The "Gangnam Private Academy Drug Beverage Incident," which shocked the nation last year, also saw the swift arrest of the main supplier in Cambodia thanks to active cooperation through the organization.

An official from the National Intelligence Service stated, "As the global drug problem poses a serious threat to the safety of our society, cooperation with overseas agencies has become increasingly important." The official added, "The 'Asia Drug Information Cooperation Organization' is serving as a vital hub for striking at the overseas bases of drug crime organizations," and emphasized, "We will continue to do our utmost to protect the daily lives of our citizens from drugs by strengthening cooperation with countries around the world through this organization."

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