As drugs disguised as "tea" (茶) and other items continue to be found along the Jeju coast, Jeju Province decided to establish a provincewide cooperative system to block illegal narcotics.
According to police and the Korea Coast Guard on the 17th, about 32 kilograms of ketamine were found along Jeju's coastline in 13 instances over about two months from Sept. 29 to the day before (the 16th). Based on a single dose (0.03g), it is enough for about 1.07 million people to use.
After 20 brick-shaped packages (about 1 kilogram each) were found in Seongsan-eup on Sept. 29, ketamine disguised as Chinese oolong tea (茶) was discovered.
Ketamine is a type of anesthetic that, when inhaled in large amounts, causes symptoms such as hallucinations and memory impairment, and is classified as a new narcotic.
Police and the Korea Coast Guard are currently investigating with a focus on the possibility that it flowed in from Southeast Asia along the Kuroshio Current, an ocean current that begins east of the Philippines.
The tea-bag drugs found in Jeju were recently discovered three times in Pohang and twice on Tsushima, Japan, and are presumed to have been distributed in the Chinese-character cultural sphere, given that the packaging bears the character "茶" (tea) in Chinese characters.
As narcotics continue to be found along the Jeju coast, related agencies moved to come up with countermeasures.
On the afternoon of the same day, Jeju Province held a Joint Countermeasures Meeting for the Eradication of Illegal Narcotics at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, presided over by Director of Safety and Health Cho Sang-beom.
The meeting was attended by officials from relevant departments of the provincial government, Jeju Provincial Police Agency, Jeju Coast Guard, Autonomous Police Unit, Provincial Office of Education, Jeju Addiction Prevention Education Center, pharmaceutical associations, sanitation organizations, and public health centers.
The meeting discussed sharing the status of narcotics found along the coast, joint response and cooperation measures among related agencies, and strengthening prevention measures and publicity to eradicate illegal narcotics.
Each agency will strengthen cooperation by sector, including blocking the distribution of illegal narcotics, expanding prevention activities, and supporting rehabilitation for people with addictions.
They will also overhaul on-site response systems and strengthen training for on-site personnel such as sea guardians and public workers on reporting procedures and prohibitions on contact when suspicious objects are found.
In addition, they will increase personnel for searching for suspicious objects and supporting patrols, and conduct a campaign urging residents and tourists to refrain from opening suspicious objects found on the coast and to report them immediately through electronic billboards, websites, and social media.