Also known as methamphetamine. The Chosun Ilbo, of course, has photos of the underwear used by the smugglers.

Fifty-three year old Mr Jang was able to pass undetected through customs at Incheon International Airport when returning from China on February 17 month despite carrying 320 grams of methamphetamine in his underwear and the bottoms of his shoes. Mr Jang brought in another 100 grams using the same methods on February 3 but received no particular attention.

The drug crimes division of the Gyeongsangnam Provincial Police Department arrested 20 people including Mr Jang on charges of smuggling 600 grams of methamphetamine from China and distributing 174 grams in the southeastern regions of Busan, Daegu and Gyeongsangnam-do, and arrested without detention another 30 people on charges of receiving the drugs from them. Also, police seized 426 grams of methamphetamine, with a value of W36 million, stored by Mr Jang and others in the country.

Mr Jang and the others are accused of smuggling 420 grams of methampetamine on two separate trips to China through Incheon International Airport last month. They allegedly used international mail on six occasions this year to bring in another 180 grams. They were found to have stored the drugs in eight locations in the southeast and sold it in cities. The 600 grams they brought into the country were worth W2 billion, and could have been used by 20,000 people.

The Customs Service at the airport announced, “we are in continuous cooperation with the National Police Agency and the National Intelligence Service to receive information about methamphetamine smuggling, and with the use of ion scanners and other equipment we can investigate suspicious persons… But current regulations and equipment in Incheon International Airport are not able to detect all cases of methamphetamine smuggling.”

Kim Dae-gyu, head of the drug crimes division of the Gyeongsangnam Provincial Police Agency, said, “because Mr Jang travelled to China over 50 times since 2001 we believe it is likely he smuggled additional methamphetamine and are continuing to investigate that possibility, and are also investigating assertions by the suspects that this methemphetamine was manufactured in North Korea.”