'Scarce' Masks and Hand Sanitizers Must Be Reported Daily Including Production and Inventory (Update)

Customs officers at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 departure hall are checking the quantity of masks packed in travelers' bags. / Yeongjongdo Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] To ensure the stable supply of health masks and hand sanitizers, which are experiencing shortages due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), businesses producing and selling these products must report their daily quantities and inventory levels to the authorities.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 12th that "in accordance with Article 6 of the Price Stabilization Act, the 'Emergency Supply and Demand Adjustment Measures for Health Masks and Hand Sanitizers' will be enforced from 0:00 on this day."

Accordingly, businesses producing and selling health masks and hand sanitizers must report the products they produce and sell to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety daily starting from this day. This measure will be temporarily in effect until April 30.

Producers of health masks and hand sanitizers must report their daily production volume, domestic shipment volume, export volume, and inventory levels to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety by 12:00 noon the following day. Sellers who sell a certain quantity or more (10,000 health masks or 500 hand sanitizers) to the same sales outlet on the same day must report the sales price, sales quantity, and sales outlet to the Ministry by 12:00 noon the following day.

Reports can be submitted via email, fax, or the online system (nedrug.mfds.go.kr). The government added that it plans to strictly enforce the law through a strong government-wide joint crackdown on illegal activities such as violations of the emergency supply and demand adjustment measures, intentional omission of reports, and manipulation of transaction volumes.

According to Articles 25 and 29 of the Price Stabilization Act, failure to report production or sales volumes or violation of emergency measures may result in imprisonment for up to two years, fines up to 50 million KRW, and additional administrative fines up to 10 million KRW.

For more details, inquiries can be made to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's 'Distribution Stabilization Measures Team' or the 'Call Center.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.