Distributor delivering 30,000 masks without reporting caught by police

When Distributing More Than 10,000 Masks, Reporting Is Mandatory
Detected Through Resident 112 Report... Verification of Hoarding Underway

On the 5th, as concerns over the spread of COVID-19 grow, citizens are lining up to buy masks at the Seogang branch of Seoseoul Nonghyup Hanaro Mart. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A distributor who sold tens of thousands of KF94 health masks at once without reporting was caught by the police following a resident's tip-off.

On the 5th, the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul announced that they are investigating whether distributor A and mask manufacturer company B violated the Price Stabilization Act.

According to the police, distributor A recently supplied 30,000 masks to a private currency exchange office in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

At around 9:30 p.m. on the 28th of last month, a citizen passing by the currency exchange office reported that "a large number of boxes labeled 'mask' were stacked." The boxes clearly displayed the label "KF94 protective mask." The police found a total of 50 boxes, each containing 600 masks.

The recently implemented "Emergency Supply and Demand Adjustment Measures for Masks and Hand Sanitizers" require that any distribution of more than 10,000 masks must be reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety through the integrated information system "Uigeum Safety Nara." Transactions without reporting can be punished under the Price Stabilization Act.

The police are verifying whether the manufacturer located in northern Gyeonggi Province violated hoarding regulations or the emergency supply and demand adjustment measures.

A police official stated, "We are investigating various possibilities, including whether the operator has previously been booked for suspected illegal mask distribution. If evidence of illegal activity is found, we will obtain a search warrant and expand the investigation to manufacturers and distributors."

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