Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot
This helps protect our community. Learn more

Illegal overseas cold medicines / KBS 2025.03.18.

KBS News
3.22M subscribers
<__slot-el>
<__slot-el>
KBS is a South Korean public broadcast service.
Wikipedia
458 views 2 days ago
[Anchor] These days, many people are looking for cold medicine during the changing seasons. These are multi-symptom cold medicines that are widely known in the country. These are drugs from the United States or Japan, but they have gained popularity here as well. As a result, there are quite a few people who buy them while traveling abroad or through online direct purchases. However, this could lead to serious problems. This is because they contain narcotic ingredients such as codeine and dextromethorphan. Long-term use can lead to the possibility of drug addiction, and even if they can be purchased freely abroad without a prescription, bringing them into the country becomes illegal the moment they arrive. With the recent surge in the import of such drugs, crackdowns are being intensified. Reporter Kim Ji-sook has the story. [Report] A small circle is captured in large quantities on the X-ray screen. This means there are pills. Upon …...more
...more
Illegal overseas cold medicines / KBS 2025.03.18.
1Likes
458Views
Mar 182025
[Anchor] These days, many people are looking for cold medicine during the changing seasons. These are multi-symptom cold medicines that are widely known in the country. These are drugs from the United States or Japan, but they have gained popularity here as well. As a result, there are quite a few people who buy them while traveling abroad or through online direct purchases. However, this could lead to serious problems. This is because they contain narcotic ingredients such as codeine and dextromethorphan. Long-term use can lead to the possibility of drug addiction, and even if they can be purchased freely abroad without a prescription, bringing them into the country becomes illegal the moment they arrive. With the recent surge in the import of such drugs, crackdowns are being intensified. Reporter Kim Ji-sook has the story. [Report] A small circle is captured in large quantities on the X-ray screen. This means there are pills. Upon opening the package, it turns out to be a cold medicine that is commonly distributed abroad, but it contains narcotic ingredients. This package arrived from Vietnam. It contains ramen and looks like an ordinary item, but the problem was this cold medicine. The ingredient at issue is the narcotic dextromethorphan. This American cold medicine with the same ingredient is legally sold locally, but it is classified as a narcotic in the country. [Chae Myung-seok/Customs Officer at Incheon Airport: "These are medicines that contain narcotic ingredients. When a family member was sick, they sent it saying 'the medicine works well,' but it is not allowed in Korea..."] Last year, about 37kg of narcotic medicines were detected by customs. This is a 43-fold increase compared to four years ago. There are many online accounts of people who thought they were buying cold medicine and got caught by customs. The problem is that even if you claim you didn't know, you will still be charged. If it is determined to be habitual, you could be subject to punishment for drug smuggling. [Choi Moon-ki/Director of International Investigation at the Customs Service: "Currently, the proportion of people who bring them in without knowing is much higher. While it may be considered in the context of normal relations, it cannot be said that this means it is not a crime."] The Customs Service recommends checking whether overseas medicines contain narcotic substances, but if they are not absolutely necessary, it is more realistic not to buy them at all. This is KBS News, Kim Ji-sook. ▣ KBS 기사 원문보기 : http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?nc... ▣ 제보 하기 ◇ 카카오톡 : 'KBS제보' 검색 ◇ 전화 : 02-781-1234 ◇ 홈페이지 : https://goo.gl/4bWbkG ◇ 이메일 : kbs1234@kbs.co.kr Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. 무단 전재, 재배포 및 이용(AI 학습 포함) 금지

Follow along using the transcript.

KBS News

3.22M subscribers