DRUG OFFENDERS IN 20S TO 40S ON SHARP RISE

The nation has seen a sharp increase in the number of drug offenders between
the ages of 20 and 49 since the nation was plunged into economic recession
in 1997, prosecutors said in a white paper yesterday.

The paper showed people in this age group accounted for 82.7 percent of the
drug offenders apprehended last year, up from 71.5 percent in 1995, 73.7
percent in 1996, 78.7 percent in 1997 and 82.3 percent in 1998.

A total of 19.2 percent of those charged with drug crimes were in their 20s,
40.2 percent in their 30s and 23.3 percent in their 40s.

Among those apprehended for methamphetamine use, 89.7 percent were between
the ages of 20-49.

The statistics also indicated a rise in women drug users.

Women made up 22 percent of all drug offenders last year, compared to 19.9
percent in 1995.

Prosecutors also noted that more of the general public, including salaried
men (3.5 percent) and housewives (0.6 percent), were experimenting with
drugs, although those with no jobs or those employed in the entertainment
industry continued to make up the majority of drug offenders.

In terms of region, more than 90 percent of drug offenders were residents of
Seoul or the provinces of Kyonggi or Kyongsang.

A total of 10,589 people were charged with drug-related crimes in 1999, a
26.8 percent jump from the previous year. Last year was also the first time
that the number of drug offenders hit the 10,000 mark.

The volume of confiscated drugs also increased 13.6 percent in 1999 to 76.3
kg.

Despite the general rise in narcotics use, however, the number of drug
offenders in the nation remained low compared to other countries.

The prosecution estimated that there were about 18 offenders for every
100,000 persons in Korea, compared to 420 in the United States, 222 in
Thailand, 214 in New Zealand, 161 in Britain, 125 in Malaysia and 58 in
Italy.

The figures in China and Japan were more comparable, with 15 offenders per
100,000 persons in China and 16 in Japan.