We caught a bunch of online secondhand drug trades...Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Blocks 2,829 Sales Posts
Jun 25, 2025
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The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it checked major online second-hand trading platforms such as Carrot Market, Lightning Market, and Used Country and illegal drug sales posts from May 12 to May 30 to confirm a total of 2,829 cases (2,648 platform companies and 181 cases from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) and took measures such as deleting posts and imposing account sanctions.
The joint inspection was conducted to eradicate illegal drug sales and prevent misuse of drugs as cases of person-to-person trading of drugs on online second-hand trading platforms were confirmed.
The main cases detected are ▲ 599 cases of skin disease treatment ▲ 477 cases of antacids ▲ 459 cases of anti-inflammatory analgesics ▲ 289 cases of hair loss treatment ▲ 143 cases of burn treatment ▲ 124 cases of constipation medicine ▲ 124 cases of eye drops ▲ 108 cases of digestive medicine ▲ 93 cases of nutritional supplements ▲ 413 cases of diet pills, antipyretic analgesics, antihistamines, etc.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged that selling drugs online is illegal, and in particular, drugs traded between individuals have a high risk of deterioration and contamination, so over-the-counter drugs should be purchased at pharmacies and prescribed and used according to the pharmacist's preparation and medication guidance after the doctor's prescription.
In Korea, according to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, drugs can only be sold in pharmacies, and online sales or transactions between individuals are strictly prohibited by law. Violation of this could result in up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with major second-hand trading platform companies since 2021 and continues to cooperate with them, such as quickly blocking posts violating related laws, setting prohibitions, strengthening self-inspection, and operating hotlines. Last year, a total of 3,384 illegal drug sales posts were blocked as a result of joint inspections.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
