Korea, South

South Korea is an East Asian country bordered by China, Japan, and North Korea. The fourth-largest economy in Asia, it is principally driven by exports of electronics, vehicles, petrochemicals, and machinery. South Korea approaches drug use and trafficking quite seriously, no doubt in part because of North Korea's heavy involvement in drug trafficking. Drugs are regulated by both the Criminal Act and the Narcotic Substance Control Act of 2000, which mandate a minimum prison sentence of one year for virtually any drug-related crime—sales, import, possession, or manufacture. The aim of policy is to discourage the use of any dangerous [Page 454]or habit-forming drug, and parole is rarely granted to criminals convicted on drug charges. That said, neither production nor abuse is a major problem in ...