The volume of smuggled goods to South Korea increased when compared to last year, according to a report from South Korean lawmaker Hong Ik-pyo based on the data from Korea Customs Service.

According to the report, the volume of illegal trade between January and August this year has reached 239.9 billion won ($209.6 million), surpassing last year’s total of 209.4 billion won.

The report added that illicit trade of cigarettes soared in particular. The volume of smuggled cigarettes as of August reached 63.8 billion won, up from last year‘s total 11.4 billion won.

Meanwhile, the volume of smuggled gold and jewelry reached 119.9 billion won this year, accounting for around half of the total volume of the nation’s contraband goods

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)