South Korea recorded 6,498,306 methylphenidate tablets prescribed in Gangnam District in 2025, the highest total among 69 districts in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Songpa ranked second with 3,836,583 tablets, while Seocho ranked fourth with 3,397,906, and the three Gangnam-area districts together accounted for 21.4% of prescriptions across the capital region.
Methylphenidate is an ADHD treatment, but health authorities have warned against treating it as a study-enhancing drug, and prescription totals alone do not establish inappropriate use. Nationwide prescriptions rose from 1.49 million in 2020 to 3.23 million in 2025, while the number of teenage patients increased from 65,685 to 179,068.