Drug capsules filled with powdered baby flesh seized in South Korea

SOUTH Korea has seized thousands of smuggled drug capsules filled with powdered flesh from dead babies, which some people believe can cure disease.

The capsules were made in north-eastern China from babies whose bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder, the Korea Customs Service said.

Customs officials refused to say where the dead babies came from or who made the capsules, fearing possible diplomatic friction with Beijing. Chinese officials ordered an investigation into the production of drugs made from dead foetuses or newborns last year.

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The South Korean customs service has discovered 35 smuggling attempts since August of about 17,450 capsules, which some people believe to be a panacea for disease, it said in a statement. However, the capsules contained bacteria and other harmful ingredients.

The smugglers told customs officials they believed the capsules were ordinary stamina boosters and did not know the ingredients.

Ethnic Koreans from north-eastern China who now live in South Korea were intending to use the capsules themselves or share them with other Korean-Chinese, a customs official said.

The capsules were all confiscated but no-one has been punished because the amount was deemed small and they weren’t intended for sale.

Chinese media have previously identified north-eastern China as the source of such products, especially Jilin province, which borders North Korea.

The South Korean customs agency began investigating after receiving a tip a year ago. No sicknesses have been reported from ingesting the capsules.