Park Wang-yeol speaks to a journalist at Incheon International Airport during his extraditon to Korea on March 25. He was once considered one of three major drug lords based in Southeast Asia. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Buying illegal drugs has become as easy as ordering a pizza. This is especially true for teens and young adults who have grown up in the digital age, as drug trafficking has increasingly moved online. On platforms like Telegram and the dark web, users familiar with drug-related slang can easily locate dealers. Consumers simply place an order, pay with Bitcoin, and, once the transaction is complete, receive a message with instructions on where to collect their purchase.

Pick-up locations are deliberately inconspicuous — places that passersby would rarely notice. Drugs are often hidden near post boxes, sewage drains, outdoor air-conditioning units or public restrooms.

The transaction takes place in cyberspace, making face-to-face encounters between dealers, buyers and intermediaries virtually nonexistent. This system, combined with a delivery method known among law enforcement as “dropping,” has made it significantly harder for investigators to dismantle drug trafficking networks, as participants do not know one another.

“In the past, teens and young adults with no prior history of drug use found it difficult to access dealers, as drugs were typically circulated within existing networks,” said Kim Su-jin, a former drug investigator at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office. “But ‘dropping’ has completely changed the landscape.”

Kim, now a partner at the Seoul-based law firm Seryun, noted that the vast majority of her clients in drug-related cases belong to Generation Z. “They can easily obtain various types of illegal drugs through social media,” she said. “First-time users may feel nervous at first, but they quickly realize how easy it is.”

According to the 2025 Drug Crime White Paper released by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes has surged dramatically over the past two decades from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023. The report also found that people in their teens, 20s and 30s account for more than 60 percent of all drug-related arrests.

Methamphetamine remains the most commonly used illegal drug in Korea, accounting for nearly 70 percent of cases. Among Generation Z, however, cannabis is more prevalent. Many teens use pre-filled cannabis oil vape cartridges. “Because these devices resemble e-cigarettes, their familiar appearance may lead teens to perceive the act as smoking rather than drug use,” Kim explained.

Park Wang-yeol, formerly one of three major Korean drug lords based in Southeast Asia, is considered a key figure in the rise of online drug trafficking. “Park’s role in making drugs accessible anytime and anywhere cannot be overstated,” Kim said.

In 2018, Korean authorities arrested a dealer who used Telegram to sell drugs in the first known case of its kind. Later that year, Park allegedly began distributing drugs through the platform under the alias “Jeonsegye,” meaning “global.”

At the time, Park was serving a 60-year prison sentence in the Philippines for the 2016 murder of three Koreans. On March 25, he was extradited to Korea. Upon arrival, he tested positive for methamphetamine in preliminary urine and hair tests. He is accused of smuggling and distributing approximately 12.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated market value of 13.1 billion won ($8.83 million). He has been handed over to prosecutors on charges including drug smuggling and leading a criminal organization.

Yoon Heung-hee, a former police detective who once led a drug investigation unit in Seoul, said authorities are now focusing on tracing Park’s smuggling routes and associated networks. “There were rumors that before his extradition, he planned to escape prison and flee to Nigeria to collaborate with a drug cartel,” Yoon said.

Park is the last of the three major figures to be arrested and extradited to Korea. The other two — Kim Chang-yeol, known by his Telegram alias “Sara Kim,” and Choi Jung-ok, a North Korean-born citizen involved in drug smuggling — are currently serving prison sentences here.

Yoon added that like Choi, some North Korean defectors have been involved in distributing methamphetamine produced in North Korea. Some traveled to northeastern Chinese cities near the border with North Korea to smuggle drugs into South Korea. He also noted that about a decade ago, some migrant workers from Southeast Asia were involved in drug trafficking, though many traffickers have since relocated.

Most methamphetamine consumed in Korea is now smuggled from countries such as Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.

© The Korea Times