The Ministry of Science and ICT's Postal Service and the Korea Customs Service will begin full operation of a “second line” of drug screening at inland logistics hubs from April 1 to block the smuggling of narcotics through international mail.

The second line is a double-inspection system. International mail that has completed a first inspection at the airport and port stage will undergo X-ray reading and package opening inspections again when it arrives at inland mail centers.

About 51 percent of narcotics brought into the country over the past 5 years, or 461 cases, entered through international mail, and smuggling methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The Postal Service and the Korea Customs Service decided to build a tighter enforcement net. The two agencies redesigned the international mail logistics network so that all international mail passes through 5 key hub mail centers nationwide from April 1.

This will allow inspections of all inbound mail at the Dong Seoul hub mail center, which has been running a pilot for the second line, as well as at the Bucheon, Anyang and Busan hub mail centers and the Central Region Metropolitan Mail Logistics Center in Daejeon.

Earlier, the two agencies checked on-site response capabilities by inspecting an average of about 2,400 mail items per day through a pilot project at the Dong Seoul hub mail center from late December 2025. In February, they signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure the successful rollout of the second-line screening project and proceeded with adding inspection staff and building facilities.

Postal Service chief In-hwan Park (박인환) said building a narcotics-blocking system through redesigning the international mail logistics network would provide a foundation for using postal services with confidence. He said the agency would work actively with the Korea Customs Service to create a safe international mail logistics environment.