Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yoo-kyung, “Drugs, family and friends are no exception… We will help them return to society.”
Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for National Affairs, “The 24-hour counseling center is a significant progress… We will not spare any support.”
Last year, about 27,000 drug offenders… 50% increase compared to the previous year
![Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yoo-kyung is giving an opening speech at the opening ceremony of the '24-hour drug telephone counseling center 1342' held at Ire Building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on the 26th. [식품의약품안전처 제공]](https://fanafad.my.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AKR20240326121200017_03_i_P4.jpg)
(Seoul = Larose.VIP) Reporter Na Gwan-jin = “Hello, this is 1342, a drug addiction hotline. The contents of the consultation are kept confidential and personal information is protected.”
The ’24-hour drug telephone counseling center 1342′, which provides counseling for drug addiction issues 24 hours a day, opened on the 26th at Ire Building, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
The center, operated by the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, provides 24-hour professional counseling on drug addiction through the main phone number ‘1342’ without area code.
They provide a variety of ‘one-stop’ consultations, ranging from addiction psychological counseling to abuse prevention counseling, and guidance on treatment hospitals and addiction rehabilitation centers.
The center currently has 9 counselors, but plans to expand to 12 within the year.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that 1342 was prepared as an easy-to-remember number with the meaning of “We will be with you every moment of your daily life (13) and 24 hours (42).”
The opening ceremony of the center was attended by Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Oh Yoo-kyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety, Lee Jeong-seok, Acting Chairman of the Korea Anti-Drug Movement, and officials from several ministries, including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
![Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Bang Ki-seon (left) and Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yoo-kyung are taking a commemorative photo at the opening ceremony of the '24-hour narcotics telephone counseling center 1342' held at Ire Building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on the 26th. [식품의약품안전처 제공]](https://fanafad.my.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AKR20240326121200017_02_i_P4.jpg)
Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yoo-kyung said in her opening speech, “Now, drug offenders are not just a problem for certain criminal organizations, but our neighbors, friends, and family are no exception.” He added, “The government must take this situation seriously and not only crack down on drugs, but also prevent them.” “We are promoting multifaceted collaboration and various policies across all ministries, including rehabilitation,” he said.
Next, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it is seeking to expand drug addiction rehabilitation centers to 17 regions across the country so that those seeking counseling can receive drug prevention education and rehabilitation counseling in person as well as over the phone.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to abbreviate the name of the drug addiction rehabilitation center to ‘One Step Center’ to take one step closer to drug addiction rehabilitation and prevention.
Director Oh said, “We will support each addict’s complete return to society and the prevention of recidivism,” and added, “We also plan to expand the ‘Justice, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Linkage Model’ project, which has been in operation since last year with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, nationwide.”
Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, “Drug addicts’ desire for drugs increases late at night, so they need help even in the middle of the night, but it has been an unfortunate situation as there has been no 24-hour counseling service. With the opening of the 24-hour counseling center, anyone can receive counseling at any time.” He congratulated the opening, saying, “It is a very significant progress.”
At the same time, “The center believes that all counseling lines are a light that protects the lives and daily lives of the people. We ask that you provide counseling with a sense of duty and responsibility so that the general public does not fall into drug addiction and addicts can quickly return to their families and daily lives.” He made a request and promised, “The government will continue to spare no effort in providing human and material support to ensure that the center does not lack in its work.”
![Opening ceremony of ‘24-hour drug counseling center 1342’ [식품의약품안전처 제공]](https://fanafad.my.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AKR20240326121200017_04_i_P4.jpg)
Following the opening ceremony, the ’24th 1st Narcotics Countermeasures Council’ was held, attended by officials from drug-related government ministries.
The government announced here that the number of drug criminals cracked down last year was 27,611, a 50% increase from 18,395 in 2022, and the amount of drugs seized also increased by 24% from 804 kg in 2022 to 998 kg last year.
This year, they said they plan to strengthen government-wide drug investigation and crackdown by operating a special drug smuggling promotion team and a maritime drug investigation team, building a next-generation new drug detection platform, and operating an intensive crackdown period on drugs by ministry and topic.
In addition, it was announced that the first ‘Narcotics Management Basic Plan (’25-29)’ will be established for thorough and strategic narcotic management.
rao@yna.co.kr
Report to KakaoTalk okjebo
