Customs data released on Monday reveals that seizures of illegally imported weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro during the first half of this year have already surpassed the total for all of 2025 by more than threefold.

According to the Korea Customs Service, authorities recorded 4,155 cases of smuggling involving these drugs through overseas direct-purchase channels and other illegal routes between January and June. This figure dramatically exceeds the 1,189 cases documented for the entirety of 2025.

In contrast, legal imports of Wegovy and Mounjaro that passed through customs during the same six-month period totaled 391 cases, while the full-year figure for 2025 stood at 191 cases.

The majority of illegal imports are flowing through international mail services. A growing number of South Korean consumers are purchasing these weight-loss drugs from overseas online retailers and having them shipped back home via international courier.

In the first half of this year, customs intercepted 3,489 illegal mail shipments containing Wegovy or Mounjaro, more than triple the 1,046 packages seized during all of 2025.

Additionally, there were 656 cases involving travelers attempting to bring the medications into the country in person, compared to just 134 such incidents last year.

South Korean regulations strictly prohibit travelers from carrying Wegovy and Mounjaro into the country.