Possession of large enough a quantity means you're automatically considered a dealer, and we're not talking huge quantities either: 30g (1 oz) of cocaine translates to a mandatory death penalty. This extends to things like having the key to a locker containing drugs.
Yes. And I wish they would move to a policy of legalise-and-regulate-(-and-tax).
But at least they manage to make their prohibition policy actually effective: drugs are hard to get, and not a lot of people are actually behind bars or executed for trading.
(Compare with eg the US which incarcerates a lot of people, but the drug trade goes on regardless.)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Korea
Supply of drugs has also historically been limited according to the following article that goes over drugs in South Korea at length:
- https://www.koreaexpose.com/drugs-south-korea-a-silent-crisi...