K, the American elementary school teacher in Jeju-do who was arrested for smuggling 44 marijuana seeds into the country (via international mail, ordered from a UK website) has been fined 5 million won.
According to Jeju-ui Sori and the Jeju Ilbo, K's lawyer argued that K had not been aware that possession of marijuana seeds was a crime in Korea, but considering that K had ordered the package using a different name and then hid the seeds in a flag affixed to his ceiling, which made it difficult for police to find them, the judge decided that K had indeed been aware of the illegality of his actions. In sentencing, the judge took into consideration the fact that K had no previous criminal record, and had reflected on his actions.
The paucity of punishment there (5 million won instead of, say, deportation or imprisonment) belies the notion that the courts themselves are especially tougher on foreign nationals.
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