Prescriptions for controlled medications, including the ADHD drug methylphenidate and the anesthetic propofol, were heavily concentrated in Seoul's affluent Gangnam area last year, data showed Monday.
According to local daily Kookmin Ilbo, citing data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Nam In-soon, Gangnam-gu in southern Seoul recorded the highest volume of methylphenidate prescriptions across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province last year, at about 6.5 million tablets.
Songpa-gu ranked second with 3.84 million tablets, while Seocho-gu placed fourth with 3.4 million tablets. Together, the three districts accounted for 21.4 percent of all methylphenidate tablets prescribed across 69 districts, cities and counties in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
The three districts, collectively known as the "three Gangnam districts," are among the country's wealthiest areas, with some of the highest housing prices and income levels nationwide.
The prescription totals alone, however, do not establish how much of the medication was used inappropriately.
Methylphenidate is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, by improving attention and impulse control. Because of its stimulant effects, it has also gained a reputation in Gangnam's private education district as a "study drug."
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has warned against the misconception that the medication is a drug for improving academic performance.
Nationwide, the number of methylphenidate prescriptions more than doubled from 1.49 million in 2020 to 3.23 million in 2025. Another 1.71 million prescriptions were issued in the first half of this year.
Children and adolescents accounted for a substantial share of those receiving the medication. Patients aged 19 or younger made up approximately 45 percent of all methylphenidate recipients last year.
The number of teenage patients prescribed the drug rose 2.7-fold from 65,685 in 2020 to 179,068 in 2025.
The increase was even steeper among adults. The number of patients in their 20s more than tripled from 31,408 to 98,126, while those in their 30s rose 4.5-fold from 15,911 to 71,006 over the same period.
A psychiatrist practicing in Gangnam pointed to intense academic competition and demand for medication to address everyday difficulties as possible factors behind prescribing patterns in the area.
"In Gangnam, a wide range of people visit hospitals seeking quick solutions to everyday problems through medication, from young people struggling with a lack of motivation to office workers dealing with job-related stress and nightlife workers suffering from sleep disorders," the psychiatrist said.
"There are a lot of parents who want to get ADHD medication prescribed for their children to enhance their concentration."
Rep. Nam called for stronger oversight of prescriptions involving controlled medications.
"The government's management of medical narcotics remains focused on overall prescription volumes and detecting violations after they occur," Nam said.
She urged authorities to pay closer attention to warning signs such as repeated prescriptions, high dosages, long-term use and patients receiving prescriptions from multiple medical institutions.
Meanwhile, the three Gangnam districts also ranked among the highest in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province for prescriptions of anesthetics and sedatives.
Gangnam-gu topped the list for propofol, with 2.09 million units prescribed last year. Seocho-gu ranked second with 763,683 units, while Songpa-gu placed fourth with 356,182 units.
The concentration of dermatology and plastic surgery clinics in southern Seoul is believed to be one factor behind the high prescription volumes, according to local reports.
For midazolam, another sedative, Gangnam, Songpa and Seocho ranked first, second and fifth, respectively. The same districts occupied the top three positions for ketamine prescriptions, with Gangnam ranking first, Seocho second and Songpa third.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
