A new face of North Korean drug use: Upsurge in methamphetamine abuse across the northern areas of North Korea

Beginning around 2005 or 2006 the northern areas of North Korea (or perhaps the country at large) were hit by a dramatic upsurge in methamphetamine abuse which can be described as a "drug epidemic." Numerous interviews with defectors paint a worrying picture of the escalating drug abuse. This evidence comes from multiple unconnected sources, and in most cases the defectors' statements demonstrate remarkable coherence. This article outlines the ongoing methamphetamine epidemic and traces its origin and its spread throughout North Korean society. A new challenge is emerging, and we have to be prepared to deal with it, or at least to take it into account.