The crackdown on the domestic influx of precursor materials for drug manufacturing will be strengthened. This aims to prevent the import of raw materials from abroad and their manufacturing in the country. The government aims to enhance the control of synthetic drugs by designating and managing substances as controlled materials as soon as information on new synthetic drugs is obtained. Additionally, the government plans to supply policy-based financial support for low-income individuals at a historic maximum of 12 trillion won this year to eradicate illegal private finance crimes.
Choi Sang-mok, the Acting President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Strategy and Finance, convened a meeting on public safety crime on the afternoon of the 6th and presented plans to strengthen responses to 'drug crime, voice phishing, illegal private finance, and deepfake sexual crimes.'
According to the plan to enhance responses to drug crimes, the government plans to carry out special nationwide crackdowns biannually (once every 6 months for 1 to 2 months) to eradicate drug-related crimes. In response to the recent increase in non-face-to-face drug transactions, the police agency plans to reorganize the existing 'Dark Web Investigation Team' into an 'Online Investigation Team' within the month to focus on crackdowns on non-face-to-face drug distribution networks, including social media platforms (SNS) and illegal virtual asset exchanges.
To block the influx of drugs from abroad, the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office will dispatch drug investigators to three major drug-exporting countries: Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, to activate local cooperative investigations. The government also plans to strengthen international cooperation by expanding participation in the 'International Cooperation Conference on Drug Control' (ADLOMICO), led by our country.
To prevent the import of precursor substances for drug manufacturing from abroad, the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office will cooperate with the Korea Customs Service and the National Intelligence Service to enhance crackdowns on drug manufacturing accomplices and precursor materials. It plans to develop hair analysis methods for synthetic cannabis and utilize them to detect synthetic drug users. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will swiftly designate and manage new synthetic drugs as controlled substances as soon as information on them is acquired, in order to block their spread within the country.
The measures to strengthen responses to voice phishing include: ▲a concentrated investigation into money laundering organizations ▲blocking the distribution of number-altering relay devices ▲strengthening infrastructure for dealing with mutual financial crimes.
Specifically, the police plan to conduct special crackdowns on voice phishing call centers, money laundering organizations, and key instruments of crime, such as burner phones and bank accounts. They will also strengthen cooperative efforts with China and Vietnam to jointly crack down on overseas call center operations.
A government official noted, 'We will establish common criteria for corporate multiple-line subscriptions based on the corporate establishment period and history of misuse, and we will also push for revisions to the Telecommunications Business Act to completely block the domestic distribution of altered relay devices that convert internet and overseas numbers (070·001) to domestic numbers (010).'
The government also revealed measures to eradicate illegal private finance crimes. First, it plans to expand the supply of policy-based financial assistance for low-income individuals to a record high of 12 trillion won annually this year, allowing citizens to obtain living funds without resorting to illegal private financing. Additionally, through the revision of the Private Lending Business Act in July, it will establish grounds for nullifying anti-social lending contracts and also plans to strengthen support for lawsuits to nullify loan agreements through representatives of debtors.
The government has also developed plans to reduce the increase in deepfake sexual crimes associated with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. It has established regulations to confiscate profits made from sexually explicit fake videos and imposed a duty on Telegram, an overseas platform, to designate a youth protection officer to ensure compliance. As a result, the number of reported deepfake sexual crimes has decreased from 395 in September last year to 108 in December, a 72.7% reduction.
The government plans to enhance international cooperation, including joining the Budapest Convention, to strengthen investigative capabilities and revise digital sexual crime case handling standards to ensure strict law enforcement. It also plans to strengthen platform management by specifying a 24-hour deadline for the removal of illegal videos and mandating sanctions against those who post sexual crime materials.