Legal status in South Korea

Per-substance legal status for South Korea, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice; drug laws change, so confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.

51 confirmed substances37 not individually verifiedLast updated September 21, 2026

Confirmed legal status

25I-NBOMe

Legal status: 25I-NBOMe is controlled under the Narcotics Control Act in South Korea; NBOMe phenethylamines were placed under temporary narcotic (imsi-mayakryu) control from 2014, and South Korea, a 1971 party, is bound by the March 2015 Schedule I listing of 25I-NBOMe.
Consequences if caught: Possession, use, sale and smuggling are criminal offences carrying imprisonment; smuggling and large-scale trafficking attract severe penalties.
If prescribed / medical: No accepted medical use; not available on prescription.
Documentation: Narcotics Control Act (Mayakryu Gwalli-e Gwanhan Beopryul); temporary narcotic designation (from 2014).

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

25I-NBOMe in South Korea, full detail →

3-MMC

Legal status: 3-MMC (3-methylmethcathinone) is controlled in South Korea, reached by the analogue-control and temporary-narcotic-designation system of the Narcotics Control Act (operative since 2011), which captures cathinone analogues; the precise 3-MMC-specific listing is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Narcotics/temporary-narcotic offences: trafficking and possession are criminal offences carrying imprisonment. Non-death-penalty outcome in practice for this drug class.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled/temporary-narcotic substance.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

3-MMC in South Korea, full detail →

7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)

Legal status: 7-Hydroxymitragynine, a kratom alkaloid, is controlled together with the plant (no separate isolate carve-out): it is named alongside kratom and mitragynine in the MFDS import prohibitions, kratom being categorised as a psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act (exact statutory basis left to confirmation).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling of a controlled psychotropic draws imprisonment (up to several years) under the Narcotics Control Act.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful medical route, kratom and its alkaloids are barred from import as food/supplement ingredients and have no approved product.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route; MFDS bars import of kratom and its alkaloids.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) in South Korea, full detail →

Adderall

Legal status: Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) has no separate legal identity, it is regulated AS amphetamine: controlled as a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act; Adderall is effectively barred from personal import.
Consequences if caught: Import without an MFDS Narcotics Import Permit = customs seizure and possible arrest; amphetamine/Adderall permits are generally NOT granted.
If prescribed / medical: Foreign prescriptions are not honoured; amphetamine import permits are generally refused, do not carry it without prior MFDS clearance.
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

Narcotics Control Act (마약류 관리에 관한 법률) · kr.usembassy.gov · The power that moves this list is the Narcotics Control Act, which carries the schedules and permits the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to designate temporary narcotics substance by substance, and this project's South Korea substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 names no version of the schedules and no version of the temporary designation notices. No version was recorded when this cell was authored on 13 July 2026, and that does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Adderall in South Korea, full detail →

Alcohol

Legal status: Legal, alcohol (ethanol) is a licensed, age-regulated beverage, not a controlled drug; minimum age 19 (by Korean-age reckoning).
Consequences if caught: No penalty for adult consumption; sale to minors penalised.
If prescribed / medical: n/a, a beverage, not a medicine.
Documentation: Sold openly in shops and convenience stores on proof of age; no traveller permit.

who.int · The power that moves this list is the Narcotics Control Act, which carries the schedules and permits the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to designate temporary narcotics substance by substance, and this project's South Korea substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 names no version of the schedules and no version of the temporary designation notices. No version was recorded when this cell was authored on 14 July 2026, and that does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Alcohol in South Korea, full detail →

Amphetamine

Legal status: Controlled as a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act; Adderall is effectively barred from personal import.
Consequences if caught: Import without an MFDS Narcotics Import Permit = customs seizure and possible arrest; amphetamine/Adderall permits are generally NOT granted.
If prescribed / medical: Foreign prescriptions are not honoured; amphetamine import permits are generally refused, do not carry it without prior MFDS clearance.
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

Narcotics Control Act (마약류 관리에 관한 법률) · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated July 13, 2026

Amphetamine in South Korea, full detail →

Barbiturates

Legal status: Barbiturates are controlled psychotropic substances under the Narcotics Control Act, a prescription-controlled class transposing the 1971 Convention tiers (secobarbital/pentobarbital/amobarbital higher, phenobarbital/barbital lower).
Consequences if caught: Illegal possession or use up to ~10 years or up to 100 million KRW.
If prescribed / medical: Phenobarbital is prescribed as a psychotropic antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are rarely dispensed.
Documentation: Every traveller needs MFDS advance import approval for a controlled substance (in force since 2009; it applies extraterritorially to nationals).

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Barbiturates in South Korea, full detail →

Benzodiazepines

Legal status: Controlled-substance medicine, MFDS advance approval required (Narcotics Control Act)
Consequences if caught: Benzodiazepines are controlled-substance medicines requiring MFDS advance approval; non-approved possession is an offence under the Narcotics Control Act. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Requires MFDS advance approval before travel (apply online; email narcotics@korea.kr), plus prescription and doctor's letter.
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

Benzodiazepines in South Korea, full detail →

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Buprenorphine is a controlled psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act, a lighter tier than narcotic methadone; there is no agonist-maintenance OST system, and buprenorphine is not available for maintenance treatment (WHO OST medicines are obtainable only via special import).
Consequences if caught: Illegal possession or use up to ~10 years or up to 100 million KRW.
If prescribed / medical: Not provided for maintenance opioid substitution; controlled treatment is abstinence-oriented, with any supply via KOEDC special import.
Documentation: MFDS advance import approval is required for a controlled substance regardless of amount; confirm before travel.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Buprenorphine in South Korea, full detail →

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Controlled, cannabis under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: Cannabis use carries up to 5 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to ₩50 million. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Controlled; CBD/THC oil requires MFDS advance approval before travel.
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

Cannabis / THC in South Korea, full detail →

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled, cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is controlled as a psychotropic substance under the Narcotics Control Act. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis leaf, not named and caught via its cathinone content) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone and analogues, temporarily/permanently scheduled) that derive from it; cathinone is the named psychotropic alkaloid, cathine the milder controlled metabolite (1971 Schedule III).
Consequences if caught: Controlled psychotropic: possession and supply of the alkaloid prosecuted under the Narcotics Control Act. South Korea carries out no drug executions (abolitionist in practice).
If prescribed / medical: 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled psychotropic.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Cathinone in South Korea, full detail →

CBD

Legal status: CBD (cannabidiol) is controlled as cannabis under the Narcotics Control Act, whose 'cannabis' definition includes the plant, resin and products manufactured from them with no CBD carve-out or THC threshold; domestic cultivation and retail CBD are prohibited.
Consequences if caught: Entering Korea with CBD without prior MFDS approval is importing a controlled narcotic, seizure and narcotics prosecution; the MFDS requires all travellers of any nationality to obtain approval before bringing CBD/THC oil.
If prescribed / medical: A narrow route since the 2018 amendment (in force March 2019) allows case-by-case import of named medicines (Epidiolex, Marinol, Sativex) via the Korea Orphan Drug Center with a prescription and MFDS approval.
Documentation: All travellers must obtain prior MFDS/Korea Orphan Drug Center approval before entering with CBD; without it CBD is seized as a narcotic and a foreign prescription alone does not permit entry.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

CBD in South Korea, full detail →

Clonazepam

Legal status: Clonazepam is a controlled psychotropic substance under the Narcotics Control Act.
Consequences if caught: Illegal possession or use up to ~10 years or up to 100 million KRW.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled psychotropic medicine.
Documentation: Every traveller needs MFDS advance import approval for a controlled substance (in force since 23 Oct 2009; it applies extraterritorially to nationals).

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Clonazepam in South Korea, full detail →

Cocaine

Legal status: Controlled, narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

Cocaine in South Korea, full detail →

Codeine

Legal status: Codeine is a prescription narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act; MFDS advance import approval has been required for any codeine, regardless of amount, since 2009 (apply roughly two weeks ahead).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised import or possession is a criminal offence under the Narcotics Control Act.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a controlled narcotic medicine on prescription.
Documentation: TRAVELLER TRAP: carrying codeine without MFDS advance import approval risks customs seizure or prosecution - apply roughly two weeks before travel.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Codeine in South Korea, full detail →

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in South Korea: it is controlled AS cocaine, a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act, whose scheduling covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. Crack is a controlled narcotic on the same terms as cocaine.
Consequences if caught: Possession, use and trafficking of crack (as cocaine) are criminal under the Narcotics Control Act, with imprisonment for use/possession and heavier terms for trafficking.
If prescribed / medical: Cocaine has only narrow controlled medical use; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed.
Documentation: No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Crack Cocaine in South Korea, full detail →

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled, delta-8-THC (Δ8-THC) is caught as a tetrahydrocannabinol under the Narcotics Control Act, which schedules THC and its isomers; delta-8 is controlled as an isomer of THC. Distinct from cannabis, controlled under the same Act, and Korea exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction over nationals. No death penalty for this substance in practice.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession and trafficking penalties with imprisonment; nationals prosecutable for use committed abroad.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; delta-8-THC is not a prescribable medicine.
Documentation: No lawful personal import of a controlled tetrahydrocannabinol.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Delta-8-THC in South Korea, full detail →

Diazepam

Legal status: Diazepam is a controlled psychotropic substance under the Narcotics Control Act.
Consequences if caught: Illegal possession or use up to ~10 years or up to 100 million KRW.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled psychotropic medicine.
Documentation: Every traveller needs MFDS advance import approval for a controlled substance (in force since 23 Oct 2009; it applies extraterritorially to nationals).

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Diazepam in South Korea, full detail →

DOM

Legal status: DOM (STP) is controlled as a psychotropic substance under the Narcotics Control Act, South Korea's transposition of DOM's individual Schedule I listing under the 1971 UN Convention.
Consequences if caught: Possession, use and trafficking are criminal offences under the Narcotics Control Act, with multi-year minimum terms and up to life imprisonment or the death penalty for aggravated trafficking.
If prescribed / medical: Controlled psychotropic with no accepted medical use; not prescribable.
Documentation: Narcotics Control Act and its Enforcement Decree, psychotropic substances schedule.

law.go.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

DOM in South Korea, full detail →

Ephedrine

Legal status: Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I, a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; a designated 'raw material substance' (원료물질) under the Narcotics Control Act (1988 Table I) requiring reporting/import-export controls (MFDS). Also a prescription pharmaceutical.
Consequences if caught: Precursor-diversion offences (handling/import knowing it is for illicit manufacture) are penalised under the Act's precursor provisions, separate from, and lighter than, narcotic-drug trafficking.
If prescribed / medical: Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Ephedrine in South Korea, full detail →

Etizolam

Legal status: Etizolam is a controlled psychotropic (향정신성의약품) under the Narcotics Control Act (MFDS).
Consequences if caught: Up to 5 years for unauthorised handling.
If prescribed / medical: Controlled as a psychotropic; handled under MFDS controlled-substance rules.
Documentation: MFDS advance import approval is required for a controlled substance.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Etizolam in South Korea, full detail →

GHB

Legal status: Controlled, substance under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: GHB is listed among South Korea's controlled substances. Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

GHB in South Korea, full detail →

Heroin

Legal status: Controlled, narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

Heroin in South Korea, full detail →

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Hydrocodone is a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act; it is not marketed in South Korea but sits in the same narcotic strong-opioid tier as morphine and oxycodone, left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or use up to 5 years or more; trafficking heavier.
If prescribed / medical: No marketed Korean hydrocodone product; a narcotic opioid is dispensed only on a narcotic prescription.
Documentation: Traveller trap: advance MFDS import approval is required for any opioid regardless of amount (apply about 2 weeks ahead), even with a foreign prescription.

incb.org · Updated July 13, 2026

Hydrocodone in South Korea, full detail →

Ketamine

Legal status: Controlled, substance under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: Ketamine is listed among South Korea's controlled substances. Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

Ketamine in South Korea, full detail →

Khat

Legal status: Controlled, ALKALOIDS ONLY NAMED. Cathinone and cathine are controlled as psychotropic substances under the Narcotics Control Act (with synthetic cathinone analogues temporarily scheduled 2011-2015); the Catha edulis plant is not individually named but fresh leaf carries the listed alkaloid. Mechanism: NAMED (alkaloids) + NPS/temporary scheduling; plant grey.
Consequences if caught: Khat leaf is effectively prohibited as it contains scheduled cathinone; Korea enforces drug law strictly, including on foreigners.
If prescribed / medical: Khat is traditional plant material with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route; fresh leaf contains a controlled psychotropic, do not carry it into Korea.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Khat in South Korea, full detail →

Kratom

Legal status: Kratom is controlled in South Korea, categorised as a psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act (reported since 2021), with the MFDS barring import of kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as food/supplement ingredients; the exact statutory basis is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling of a controlled psychotropic is prosecutable under the Narcotics Control Act (imprisonment and fines).
If prescribed / medical: No lawful medical route, kratom and its alkaloids are barred by the MFDS with no registered medicinal product.
Documentation: The MFDS import prohibition applies to kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine; there is no personal-import route.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Kratom in South Korea, full detail →

Lorazepam

Legal status: Lorazepam is a controlled psychotropic substance under the Narcotics Control Act.
Consequences if caught: Illegal possession or use up to ~10 years or up to 100 million KRW.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled psychotropic medicine.
Documentation: Every traveller needs MFDS advance import approval for a controlled substance (in force since 23 Oct 2009; it applies extraterritorially to nationals).

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Lorazepam in South Korea, full detail →

LSD

Legal status: Controlled, psychotropic (LSD) under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: LSD is among the controlled psychotropics. Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

LSD in South Korea, full detail →

MDA

Legal status: Controlled, MDA is a psychotropic (hyangjeongsingseong) under the Act on the Control of Narcotics, etc. NAMED mechanism.
Consequences if caught: Psychotropic: trafficking severe (multi-year prison); foreigners prosecuted and deported.
If prescribed / medical: Scheduled psychotropic with no recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal import; zero tolerance at the border.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

MDA in South Korea, full detail →

MDMA

Legal status: Controlled, substance under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: MDMA is listed among South Korea's controlled substances. Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

MDMA in South Korea, full detail →

MDPV

Legal status: Controlled. MDPV was the first substance temporarily scheduled (end 2011) under the Act on the Control of Narcotics, Etc. and was later permanently controlled by name as a psychotropic.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession and supply carry imprisonment, with strict enforcement extending to citizens abroad. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: MDPV has no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in South Korea.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled psychotropic; do not carry.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

MDPV in South Korea, full detail →

Memantine

Legal status: Memantine is a prescription drug (jeonmun-uiyakpum), not a controlled drug: memantine products are registered with the MFDS integrated drug information system and are not listed under the Act on the Control of Narcotics.
Consequences if caught: Memantine attracts no narcotics-control penalty; supplying this prescription drug without authorisation is a pharmaceutical-affairs matter only.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's dementia, initiated by a physician experienced in dementia care.
Documentation: Memantine tablets are registered in the MFDS (nedrug) product database; carried lawfully with a prescription.

nedrug.mfds.go.kr · The power that moves this list is the Narcotics Control Act, which carries the schedules and permits the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to designate temporary narcotics substance by substance, and this project's South Korea substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 names no version of the schedules and no version of the temporary designation notices. No version was recorded when this cell was authored on 14 July 2026, and that does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Memantine in South Korea, full detail →

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled, NAMED. Mephedrone is scheduled as a psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act (temporary-narcotic-designation and analogue-control system introduced 2011).
Consequences if caught: Controlled psychotropic: possession and supply offences under the Narcotics Control Act. South Korea carries out no drug executions (abolitionist in practice).
If prescribed / medical: Scheduled psychotropic with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled psychotropic.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Mephedrone (4-MMC) in South Korea, full detail →

Methadone

Legal status: Methadone is a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act, but South Korea has NO methadone-maintenance programme, methadone is not available for OST (there is no agonist-maintenance system; treatment is abstinence-oriented).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or use up to 5 years or more; trafficking heavier.
If prescribed / medical: No OST maintenance route exists, WHO opioid-agonist medicines are unavailable domestically and reachable only via special KOEDC import consent.
Documentation: Carrying methadone effectively requires special import consent (KOEDC) plus a narcotics declaration; confirm before travel.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Methadone in South Korea, full detail →

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Controlled, psychotropic (methamphetamine/'philopon') under the Narcotics Control Act
Consequences if caught: Possession or use of narcotics/psychotropics (e.g. methamphetamine/'philopon', cocaine, heroin) carries a minimum of 1 year's imprisonment; import, export, manufacture, or trafficking carries 5 years to life. Distinctively, South Korea prosecutes its own citizens for drug use committed abroad even where it was legal there (hair-follicle testing on return, up to 5 years); foreign nationals face deportation and a re-entry ban.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine; controlled-substance medicines require MFDS advance approval before travel (see below).
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

elaw.klri.re.kr · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated June 25, 2026

Methamphetamine in South Korea, full detail →

Methylone

Legal status: Controlled as a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act, methylone was temporarily then permanently designated as an NPS/narcotic. No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession and trafficking penalties with imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal import of a controlled narcotic.

kr.usembassy.gov · Updated July 14, 2026

Methylone in South Korea, full detail →

Methylphenidate

Legal status: Controlled psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act; legally prescribable domestically and import permits ARE granted (unlike amphetamine).
Consequences if caught: Import requires an MFDS Narcotics Import Permit obtained before arrival (~2 weeks ahead); without it, seizure.
If prescribed / medical: Obtain an MFDS Narcotics Import Permit before travel + carry a specialist letter.

Narcotics Control Act (마약류 관리에 관한 법률) · kr.usembassy.gov · Updated July 13, 2026

Methylphenidate in South Korea, full detail →

Mitragynine

Legal status: Mitragynine, the principal alkaloid of kratom, is controlled together with the plant in South Korea: kratom is categorised as a psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act, and the MFDS names kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine together in barring their import as food/supplement ingredients (exact statutory basis left to confirmation).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling of a controlled psychotropic draws imprisonment (up to several years) under the Narcotics Control Act.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful medical route, kratom and its alkaloids are barred from import as food/supplement ingredients and have no approved product.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route; MFDS bars import of kratom and its alkaloids.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Mitragynine in South Korea, full detail →

Modafinil

Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (MFDS), NOT a narcotic/psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act (not scheduled).
Consequences if caught: Prescription-medicine offence only.
If prescribed / medical: A Korean prescription is needed to dispense; import permits do not apply since it is not a narcotic.
Documentation: MFDS advance approval is required for controlled-substance medicines (including CBD/THC oil, amphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines), apply online before travel (email narcotics@korea.kr). Non-controlled medicines are allowed up to 6 bottles / a 3-month supply with a prescription and a doctor's letter.

Prescription medicine (not a narcotic) · kr.usembassy.gov · The power that moves this list is the Narcotics Control Act, which carries the schedules and permits the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to designate temporary narcotics substance by substance, and this project's South Korea substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 names no version of the schedules and no version of the temporary designation notices. No version was recorded when this cell was authored on 13 July 2026, and that does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Modafinil in South Korea, full detail →

Morphine

Legal status: Morphine is a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act, dispensed on a narcotics prescription.
Consequences if caught: Unlawful possession or use up to 5 years or more; trafficking heavier.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled narcotic for severe and cancer pain.
Documentation: TRAVELLER TRAP, advance MFDS import approval is required for opioids regardless of amount (apply roughly 2 weeks ahead) even with a foreign prescription.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Morphine in South Korea, full detail →

Nitrous Oxide

Legal status: Nitrous oxide is not a narcotic under Korea's drug law but is designated under the Chemical Substances Control Act so that inhaling it for non-medical (hallucinogenic) purposes and supplying it for that purpose are prohibited; medical and legitimate industrial/food use remains lawful.
Consequences if caught: Recreational inhalation or supply carries up to 3 years' imprisonment or a fine up to 50 million won; as a chemical-control (not narcotics) offence it is NOT death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Nitrous oxide is a lawful medical/anaesthetic gas and food additive; healthcare and food-industry supply is unaffected.
Documentation: Medical and food-grade nitrous oxide are lawful; canisters supplied or used for inhalation are penalised under the Chemical Substances Control Act.

law.go.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Nitrous Oxide in South Korea, full detail →

Oxycodone

Legal status: Oxycodone is a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act, a marketed strong-opioid analgesic.
Consequences if caught: Unlawful possession or use up to 5 years or more; trafficking heavier.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled narcotic analgesic.
Documentation: TRAVELLER TRAP: MFDS advance import approval is required for any opioid regardless of amount (apply ~2 weeks ahead), even with a foreign prescription; it applies extraterritorially to nationals.

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Oxycodone in South Korea, full detail →

Pink Cocaine / Tusi

Legal status: Pink cocaine (tusi) is not scheduled as such; it is a variable mixture (typically ketamine + MDMA) prosecuted through its constituents, both MDMA and ketamine are controlled substances under the Narcotics Control Act, which reaches any preparation containing a controlled substance. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled detected component.
Consequences if caught: Possession, use and supply are criminal offences under the Narcotics Control Act, punishable by imprisonment and charged on whichever constituent is detected.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful supply of the mixture; ketamine is a controlled medicine used under strict medical supervision, while MDMA has no marketed medical use.
Documentation: Sold as an unregulated party powder; because the makeup varies batch to batch, buyers cannot know its constituents, so legal exposure under the Narcotics Control Act is unknowable at purchase.

elaw.klri.re.kr · The power that moves this list is the Narcotics Control Act, which carries the schedules and permits the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to designate temporary narcotics substance by substance, and this project's South Korea substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 names no version of the schedules and no version of the temporary designation notices. No version was recorded when this cell was authored on 14 July 2026, and that does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Pink Cocaine / Tusi in South Korea, full detail →

Pregabalin

Legal status: Pregabalin is a prescription (ETC) medicine in South Korea and is NOT classified as a controlled narcotic or psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act (MFDS), it is dispensed as an ordinary prescription medicine, as is gabapentin.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised supply is a medicines-law offence; it is not prosecuted under the narcotics-control penalties.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as an ordinary prescription-only (ETC) medicine.
Documentation: Carry the prescription or a doctor's letter; a personal supply is generally allowed, declare medicines and confirm current MFDS limits.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 14, 2026

Pregabalin in South Korea, full detail →

Quetiapine

Legal status: Quetiapine is a prescription drug (jeonmun-uiyakpum), not a controlled drug: Seroquel (serokel) and quetiapine products are registered with the MFDS integrated drug information system and are not listed under the Act on the Control of Narcotics.
Consequences if caught: Quetiapine attracts no narcotics-control penalty; supplying this prescription drug without authorisation is a pharmaceutical-affairs matter only.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as an atypical antipsychotic for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; dispensed only on prescription.
Documentation: Seroquel and quetiapine products are registered in the MFDS (nedrug) product database; carried lawfully with a prescription.

Quetiapine in South Korea, full detail →

Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)

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 / 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.

Scopolamine (Devil's Breath) in South Korea, full detail →

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)

Legal status: Controlled as a class. South Korea controls synthetic cannabinoids under the Act on the Control of Narcotics, Etc. using its temporary-designation power to schedule new synthetic cannabinoids quickly and then permanently listing them as psychotropics, incorporating the synthetic cannabinoids added to Schedule II of the 1971 Convention.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession and supply carry imprisonment, with strict enforcement extending to citizens abroad. No death penalty for this substance class.
If prescribed / medical: These synthetic cannabinoids have no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in South Korea.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for controlled synthetic cannabinoids; do not carry.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice) in South Korea, full detail →

Tramadol

Legal status: Tramadol is a prescription (ETC) medicine in South Korea and, unusually for an opioid, is NOT classified as a controlled narcotic or psychotropic under the Narcotics Control Act (MFDS); its non-scheduled status is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised supply is a medicines-law offence; it is not prosecuted under the narcotics-control penalties.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as an ordinary prescription-only (ETC) medicine.
Documentation: Carry the prescription or a doctor's letter; a personal supply is generally allowed, declare medicines and confirm current MFDS limits.

mfds.go.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Tramadol in South Korea, full detail →

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Alprazolam is a controlled psychotropic substance under the Narcotics Control Act.
Consequences if caught: Illegal possession or use up to ~10 years or up to 100 million KRW.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled psychotropic medicine.
Documentation: Every traveller needs MFDS advance import approval for a controlled substance (in force since 23 Oct 2009; it applies extraterritorially to nationals).

elaw.klri.re.kr · Updated July 13, 2026

Xanax (Alprazolam) in South Korea, full detail →

Zolpidem

Legal status: Zolpidem is a controlled psychotropic medicine under South Korea's Act on the Control of Narcotics, transposing its 1971 Convention Schedule IV status; it is one of the country's most prescribed hypnotics and is dispensed only on prescription.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised supply of this scheduled psychotropic is an offence under the narcotics-control law; a prescribed personal supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical: Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia as a controlled psychotropic hypnotic subject to prescription monitoring.
Documentation: A traveller carries prescribed zolpidem with the prescription; personal-import controls apply to psychotropics.

incb.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Zolpidem in South Korea, full detail →

Not individually verified

37 substances are not individually verified for South Korea

For these the governing national drug law is cited, but we have not verified that the substance specifically is scheduled under it. Treat them as unanswered, not as legal. Confirm with South Korea’s drug authority or your embassy.

Substance	What we found
1P-LSD	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
2-FDCK	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
2C-B	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
2C-E	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
2C-I	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
2C-T-7	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
4-AcO-DMT	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
4-HO-MET	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
6-APB	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Amanita muscaria	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Amyl Nitrite	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Ayahuasca	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Caffeine	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Cannabinol	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
DMT	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
DXM	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Fentanyl	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Gabapentin	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
GBL	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
HHC	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
LSA (Morning Glory)	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Mescaline	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Methaqualone (Quaaludes)	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
MXE	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Nicotine	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Nimetazepam	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Opium	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
PCP	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Peyote	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Phenibut	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Poppers	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Psilocybin	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Salvia divinorum	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
THC-P	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Tobacco	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy
Xylazine	Not confirmed, verify with Korea's MFDS / your embassy

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’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 →

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