Is Scopolamine (Devil's Breath) legal in South Korea?
- Legal status
- Scopolamine (hyoscine) is a registered medicine, not a controlled drug: butylscopolamine (Buscopan) products are registered with the MFDS and sold as 일반의약품 (OTC), and scopolamine is not listed under the Act on the Control of Narcotics.
- Consequences if caught
- Scopolamine attracts no narcotics-control penalty; supplying a registered medicine outside the approved channel is a pharmaceutical-affairs matter only.
- If prescribed or medical
- Buscopan (butylscopolamine) is an OTC antispasmodic; injectable scopolamine (anaesthetic premedication) is prescription.
- Documentation
- Butylscopolamine/scopolamine products are registered in the MFDS (nedrug) drug database; carried lawfully.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with South Korea’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →