This March 28, 2019, file photo shows the containers of GHB, also known as a “date rape” drug, are displayed at a police station in South Gyeongsang Province. Dance clubs, bars and other high-risk entertainment business facilities for drug offenses in Seoul will be given rapid GHB test kits as stronger anti-drug laws are set to come into force in two months. Newsis
Dance clubs, bars and other high-risk entertainment business facilities in Seoul, where drug offenses often occur, will be given rapid GHB test kits as stronger anti-drug laws are set to come into force in two months.
Starting this month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide such business owners with test kits for the colorless, odorless liquid. GHB, commonly referred to as a "date rape" drug, is surreptitiously added to a person's drink and ingested without them being aware. It was one of the drugs that became well known to the public following the Burning Sun scandal.
This move comes ahead of the implementation of the revised laws on drug control and food hygiene, which will take effect on Aug. 7.
Under the new laws, such entertainment facilities could be forced to close if drug crimes are found to be occurring there with the owner's knowledge. So far, convictions for drug crimes committed in these facilities have not yet affected their business operations, at least legally.
Operators of entertainment facilities will be advised to use the test kits on suspicious drinks and report any illegal activities to the police. The test requires only a single drop from the drink in question, and the result comes out within just a minute, officials said.
As part of the effort to curb drug offenses, the city government also plans to put up warning signs as well as information about health centers where people who use drugs can get help.
The number of drug crimes has increased at an alarming pace in Korea over recent years. A pan-government investigation team dedicated to the field said last month that the number of drug cases reported between April 2023 and this March was 28,572, a significant increase from 19,442 for the same period the previous year.