Drugs have infiltrated the military... 69 drug offenders, including active military personnel, arrested in five years = South Korea

It has been revealed that a total of 69 active duty soldiers have been arrested for drug-related crimes in the South Korean military over the past five years. Despite disciplinary action being taken as a result of trials and investigations, internal disciplinary action against soldiers has not been taken.
It has become clear that in many cases, the military is not taking proper measures, or is only given light punishments such as shortening vacation time or receiving military discipline training, leading to calls for strengthening the control system within the military.
On the 23rd, Park Seon-won, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, received the "Current Status of Drug Cases" from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense.
According to the report, from 2021 to the first half of 2025 (June), 56 people in the Army, 11 in the Navy and Marine Corps, and 2 in the Air Force were disciplined for drug use, inhalation, possession, and conspiracy.
In the Army, the breakdown of those arrested for drug-related offenses was 39 soldiers, followed by 14 non-commissioned officers, one officer, one cadet, and one serviceman. Of these, 31 were subject to internal disciplinary action.
Two deputies who received prison sentences for methamphetamine possession in 2023 were dismissed. Meanwhile, a deputy who received prison sentences for methamphetamine possession last year was dismissed.
The investigation revealed that the four full-time soldiers who received the drug charges did not even receive internal disciplinary action. Details of the other internal disciplinary actions taken in the Army regarding drug-related cases include military training for six soldiers, dismissal for six soldiers, reduced leave for three soldiers, and demotion for six soldiers.
The order of punishment was four people who were given a rank, two people who had their pay cut, and five people who had other punishments. The breakdown of the punishments was that of being transferred outside the military, with 14 people, followed by eight people who were not indicted, had their indictment suspended, or had their sentences suspended.
Seven were found guilty, six were sentenced to prison, two were fined, and two are under investigation. In the Navy and Marine Corps, five soldiers, four non-commissioned officers, one officer, and one serviceman were arrested during the same period.
Of these, six have left the military, two have been fined, one has not been indicted, one has been given a deferred indictment or a suspended sentence, two have not received internal disciplinary action, three have been dismissed, two have been suspended or had their pay reduced, one has been demoted, and one has been suspended.
The result was one soldier who had his free time reduced. In the Navy and Marine Corps, one soldier was charged with using ecstasy but was not indicted, and one soldier was arrested for smoking marijuana and was transferred out of the military.
He has not received internal disciplinary action. The Marine Corps dismissed three non-commissioned officers who left the military last year on suspicion of methamphetamine use and other offenses. In 2021, two non-commissioned officers were arrested and given suspended sentences for marijuana use.
In 2022, a major was suspended after being fined for allegedly using methamphetamine. In the Air Force, a sergeant who used methamphetamine in 2023 was transferred out of the military and suspended.
A non-commissioned officer who was found to have administered zolpidem in 2024 was given a deferred prosecution and a reprimand.
Although the South Korean military has recently emphasized its response to drug crimes, internal controls remain inadequate.
Since July last year, the Military Manpower Administration has implemented drug testing for all those who are undergoing the enlistment examination and the physical examination for active duty soldiers. The test results are reported to the Ministry of Defense, and the records can be managed.
However, there are criticisms that re-examinations and surprise inspections after enlistment have not been established, and that internal disciplinary measures against discharged soldiers are not being properly implemented.
"The key is to crack down on drug offenders in the country early," he said, emphasizing, "We need to change the current situation where drug offenders only come to light after investigations, and strengthen both disciplinary and internal control systems."