40,000 KF94 Masks Distributed Fraudulently as Certified by MFDS... Seller Arrested

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) caused a 'mask crisis,' a distributor who circulated hundreds of thousands of non-certified masks by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in the market was caught by the police.

The Chungbuk Chungju Police Station announced on the 9th that they arrested Mr. A (59) on charges of fraud and violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

According to the police, Mr. A is suspected of distributing 400,000 masks that were not certified by the MFDS, falsely claiming them to be KF94 certified products.

Police investigations revealed that as COVID-19 rapidly spread, Mr. A set up mask production and packaging machines in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and produced health masks with four workers. The masks produced in this way were packaged in wrappers marked with the KF94 logo and sold for 3,000 won each. However, it was confirmed that these masks were not certified by the MFDS.

On the 5th of this month, the police apprehended Mr. A and seized 20,000 non-certified masks along with packaging boxes labeled KF94 from the factory. The police are expanding the investigation, believing there may be more non-certified masks distributed by Mr. A.

Meanwhile, since the 28th of last month, the police have formed a special crackdown team consisting of 1,254 officers deployed nationwide at local police agencies and stations to focus on mask hoarding and sales fraud. Previously, in Busan, a manufacturer who sold 1.2 million ordinary hanji masks disguised as functional masks was caught, and in Chungnam, a distributor who sold 55,000 defective masks ordered for recall and disposal by the MFDS on an online shopping mall was sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

A police official stated, “We will concentrate our law enforcement capabilities on cracking down on mask hoarding and sales fraud that exploit the heightened public confusion and disrupt distribution order.”

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