Global Courant 2023-05-20 14:20:00
SEOUL – While partying in the entertainment district of Itaewon last October, Michelle (not her real name) found herself throwing up, losing her balance and unable to concentrate after eating some Halloween gummies that left her were handed out on the street.
“It was a really weird feeling I’ve never had before, it felt like my body didn’t belong to me,” the 23-year-old student from Mexico told The Straits Times on condition of anonymity.
She managed to get home with the help of friends, but felt like “the world was spinning” when she got into bed.
She wonders if the gummies might contain a rape drug like GHB or ketamine, some of which are known to induce sudden nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.
These drugs are used to incapacitate women so they are more easily attacked.
“It was Halloween, so eating other people’s candy is super common,” said Michelle, referring to the American tradition of “trick-or-treating,” giving kids candy to avoid being tricked on Halloween. taken.
South Korean police had warned that drugs disguised as candy may be handed out during Halloween festivities, but failed to see the news reports, which depicted the candy being avoided, and instead reported to the police.
“I come from a country where drugs are very common, so when I came to Korea, I was under the impression that it wasn’t happening here,” adds Michelle, who attends a university in Seoul.
South Korea used to be largely drug-free. Drugs are banned here and citizens – even K-pop stars – can face up to five years in prison for using drugs abroad where they are legal.
But illicit drug use and drug-related crimes have soared in recent years, especially among young people in their teens and twenties, that this year the government has declared an all-out war on drugs.
The situation has “reached a point where it can no longer be tolerated,” said Korean Customs Service (KCS) Commissioner Yoon Tae-sik in February.
“There are more than two drug trafficking attempts in the country every day. Korea has lost its drug-free status for eight years and is now heading towards a “drug-consuming country,” he noted.
He referred to how countries are generally considered drug-free if they have fewer than 20 drug offenders per 100,000 inhabitants, and how South Korea surpassed that figure in 2016.
“Korean Customs intends to make this year our first year of war on drugs, and with extraordinary determination, we will mobilize all available resources to fight this war,” Mr. Yoon said.
