Cases of obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro being illegally brought into South Korea from abroad are surging, as a widening price gap between domestic and overseas markets drives buyers to seek cheaper supplies. The trend has prompted calls to tighten enforcement against illegal distribution while also considering national health insurance coverage for the drugs.
Customs authorities recorded 4,619 cases of illegal obesity drug imports from January through July this year, according to data submitted by the Korea Customs Service to Rep. Bae Joon-young of the People Power Party, the opposition secretary on the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Committee. The figure is roughly three times the 1,189 cases detected for all of last year.
Smuggled in Luggage After Overseas Trips
International mail accounted for the largest share at 3,731 cases, or 80.8%, followed by travelers' personal belongings at 872 cases, or 18.9%, and express cargo at 16 cases, or 0.3%. Detections through personal belongings jumped 6.5-fold, from 134 cases last year to 872 in the first seven months of this year.
No Breakdown by Product
The Korea Customs Service told Bae it does not maintain separate statistics on illegal imports by product, such as Wegovy, Mounjaro or Ozempic. Bae said that limits the ability to determine which products are entering the country in greater volumes and which routes are most used for each drug.
Japan Prices Run as Low as a Quarter of Korea's
The gap in prices at home and abroad is behind the trend. A four-week supply of Mounjaro 2.5 mg costs about 270,000 to 300,000 won ($195 to $217) in South Korea, but is available in Japan for 70,000 to 100,000 won, roughly a quarter of the Korean price. Japan's government controls the price while covering part of the cost through its health insurance system. Price competition among online medical consultation providers has also pushed prices lower.
"We need to examine whether the absence of health insurance coverage for Wegovy and Mounjaro is stimulating demand for overseas purchases," Bae said. "The Korea Customs Service and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety should closely track changes in major products and import routes, and concentrate enforcement resources on the most vulnerable channels."
