From Handcuffs to Helping Hands: Changing the Approach to Drug Addiction

This is an integrated management facility for drug addicts that opened at the Seoul Eunpyeong Hospital last October.

It is the first public facility designed to provide the necessary stages of treatment and rehabilitation in one place following legal punishment.

The facility was established in the wake of the drug-laced beverage incident in the Daechi-dong academy district three years ago, which exposed the reality of how deeply drugs have penetrated our daily lives.

[Kim Dong-hyun / Director, Seoul Drug Management Center: An environment where drug addiction can be treated is created only when accessibility to treatment is better than accessibility to drugs.]

Lee Dong-jae, who works here as a recovery support specialist, was once a drug addict himself.

Addicted to marijuana and methamphetamine, he received criminal punishment four times. However, after three years and six months of rehabilitation, he is now in a position to reach out to those suffering from drug addiction, just as he once did.

[Lee Dong-jae / Recovery Support Specialist: There is a saying that the opposite of addiction is connection. People with the same pain gather to form bonds and a sense of solidarity.]

While the demand for such public integrated management is growing alongside the results of large-scale crackdowns and arrests, the reality is that it is difficult to receive even basic treatment on time due to a shortage of medical staff specializing in drug addiction.

The United States, which experienced high recidivism rates before we did, concluded that punishment alone is not the answer for drug offenders. Since 1989, it has introduced drug courts that integrate criminal procedures with treatment.

Instead of immediate criminal punishment, the court orders treatment, and a judge receives weekly reports on the progress of the treatment.

[Steven O'Neill / Judge (June 7, 2023, SBS 8 News): If you skip (the urine test) again, I will prosecute you immediately.]

[Defendant (June 7, 2023, SBS 8 News): Yes, Your Honor. Thank you.]

There are currently over 4,000 drug courts in the United States. The recidivism rate is approximately three times lower for those who complete court-mandated treatment programs.

In Australia, the recidivism rate for those who completed the drug court program was more than twice as low as for those who dropped out.

[Park Young-duk / President, Korea Drug Rehabilitation Association: If (an addict) works hard on their treatment, the court can deliver a more favorable sentencing. The public must now recognize that this is a time when treatment and rehabilitation are necessary.]

Experts point out that it is urgent to expand public drug management centers that provide medical intervention and counseling from the moment of detection, and to introduce a Korean-style drug court system that can dramatically lower recidivism rates.

The opposite of drug addiction is 'connection'... How do other countries handle it? (July 8, 2026, 8 News)

Reported by Je Hee-won | Written by Bae Jun-hwi | Video by Kim Seung-tae and Yang Ji-hoon | Video Editing by Choi Hye-young | Graphics by Kim Han-gil and Park Tae-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.