[Exclusive] Prosecution's Mask Task Force Conducts Search and Seizure at Mask Company in Pyeongtaek

Masks and mask manufacturing fabric found in the warehouse of a company caught during the joint inspection conducted by the prosecution and related ministries since the 12th (Photo by Prosecution)

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The prosecution conducted a search and seizure at a mask company located in Pyeongtaek.

According to the legal community on the 23rd, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's special investigation team for distribution disruption crimes related to masks and other health products (led by Jeon Jun-cheol, Head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2) conducted a search and seizure at mask company A in Pyeongtaek on the same day.

The special investigation team for masks at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is composed of prosecutors and investigators seconded from the same office's Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 and 2, the Fair Trade Division, and the Criminal Division 13, which is responsible for tax evasion investigations.

A prosecution official stated, "Additional matters to verify arose related to the case previously under investigation by the special investigation team, which led to the search and seizure."

The special investigation team, together with related government ministries such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, conducted a joint inspection over five days from the 12th to the 16th, examining each stage of mask distribution to identify the causes of supply imbalances in masks and mask manufacturing filters and to propose measures to improve the issues.

At that time, the prosecution and others selected a total of 52 companies involved in importing, manufacturing, or distributing filters, as well as mask manufacturing and distribution companies, as inspection targets. They mobilized a total of 36 teams with 118 personnel (including 18 prosecutors: 82 from the prosecution office, 17 from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and 20 from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) to conduct the joint inspection.

During this process, the prosecution took measures to distribute approximately 6.3 tons of melt-blown nonwoven fabric (MB filter, enough to produce about 3.25 million KF94 masks), which the company had stored in a warehouse without reporting but later voluntarily reported to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to nine mask manufacturers. They also facilitated the distribution of about 2 million masks seized from the warehouse, enabling a total of approximately 5.25 million public masks to be circulated.

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