Prime Minister Kim: "Drug Investigations and Crackdowns Must Be Meticulous... Thorough Recovery of Criminal Proceeds"

Prime Minister Minseok Kim stated on April 17, "Drugs are a serious crime," adding, "Investigations and crackdowns must become even more thorough." He further emphasized, "We need to conduct seamless crackdowns from the borders to online platforms, strengthen tracking of distribution networks, and rigorously recover criminal proceeds."

Prime Minister Minseok Kim is speaking at the Narcotics Response Ministerial Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on April 17, 2026. Photo by Jo Yongjun

On the morning of April 17, Prime Minister Kim presided over the Narcotics Response Ministerial Meeting at the Government Seoul Office. He commented, "Drugs are a grave social issue that undermines the future of young people," reiterating his position.

He also said, "We need to re-examine our treatment and rehabilitation system," and added, "Addiction is a disease that requires ongoing treatment and management. The treatment and rehabilitation system must operate without gaps—ranging from rehabilitation within correctional facilities, management during probation, to post-release connections with community resources." Additionally, he emphasized, "Preventive education should be closely integrated with daily life," and noted, "Harmful posts on social networking services (SNS) must be blocked efficiently and promptly."

The meeting was attended by officials from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Korea Communications Commission, as well as private sector experts. An official from the Office for Government Policy Coordination stated, "We plan to continuously monitor each ministry's drug response status centered on the Narcotics Countermeasures Council, and to advance the discussions from the meeting through close cooperation with relevant ministries."

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