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The Korean police warns that South Koreans who use cannabis in Canada could be criminally prosecuted when they return to their home country.
An official from South Korea's narcotics unit gave the message earlier this week, saying marijuana was treated as a serious offense. Offenders could be sentenced to five years in prison.
READ MORE: Visitor's Guide to Legal Marijuana Use in Canada
"Cannabis smokers will be punished according to Korean law, even if they do so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There will be no exception, "said the official, according to the Korea Times.
The government of South Korea also issued a warning last week, the day before Canada's legalization of marijuana.
October 16, the Embassy of South Korea in Canada says on Twitter"Even if South Koreans are in an area where marijuana is legal, it will be illegal to consume it. Be careful not to commit an illegal act and get yourself punished. "
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The Korean police has announced plans to hold information sessions in Canada and Uruguay (the first country in the world to legalize the pot) to explain the risks associated with marijuana use for Korean residents, the Korea Times reported.
"It's possible for a country to make it an offense … because there are sovereignty issues in this country," said Harrison Jordan, a Toronto-based cannabis lawyer.
"There are certainly other countries that have done … like Saudi Arabia, which makes the presence of THC illegal in your system."
Japan has also warned its inhabitants. On October 4, the Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver issued a statement that the possession and purchase of the drug is not only illegal in Japan, but "may be applied … in foreign countries".
READ MORE: Flying High – Rules for Passengers Carrying Cannabis at Canadian Airports
Under the South Korean Narcotics Law, selling, buying or using marijuana is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won, about $ 57,000.
Marijuana use is illegal and considered a serious crime in South Korea. According to the Korean media, "marijuana is at the same taboo level as a hard drug like heroin or crystal meth".
In July 2017, South Korean pop star T.O.P was sentenced to a 10-month suspended sentence for smoking marijuana. The singer was charged after using marijuana four times in October 2016 at his home in the capital, Seoul.
T.O.P, from South Korean group Big Bang, is going to Seoul Central District Court for a hearing on her marijuana business on July 20, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea.
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
How is South Korea going to test marijuana?
"South Korea can not screen everyone who has gone to a foreign country, but the police maintain a blacklist that leads to the surveillance of some people," Lee Chang-Hoon, a professor in the US Department of Defense, told the Guardian. Administration of the Hannam University Police in Daejeon. .
"But the police are more concerned about marijuana transport in South Korea and its messages show that she is eager to tackle this problem in the near future."
According to Statistics Canada, about 286,000 South Koreans visited Canada in 2017.
© 2018 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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