11 Domestic Companies Caught Selling Imported Masks Labeled as 'Korean-Made'... 1.8 Million Units Seized

Eleven companies that sold low-cost, low-quality foreign masks disguised as domestic products were caught by customs authorities. The scale of masks seized from these companies reached 1.8 million pieces. Photo by Korea Customs Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Eleven companies that disguised imported masks as domestically produced masks and sold them have been caught. The scale of masks seized from these companies reached 1.8 million pieces.

On the 6th, the Korea Customs Service announced that it had uncovered 11 companies that took advantage of the shortage of domestic masks caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) by falsely labeling the origin or not labeling it at all, thereby deceiving consumers by selling low-priced, low-quality foreign masks as domestic products.

These companies mainly used methods such as repackaging imported masks after customs clearance and labeling them as domestic products (false origin labeling), or importing masks in bulk from overseas and then repackaging them into smaller retail packages without indicating the origin.

In addition, some products were labeled as imported in terms of origin, but when sold online, the origin was labeled differently (false advertising).

The Korea Customs Service plans to impose fines on two companies (960,000 pieces) that falsely labeled the origin and sell masks, and at the same time, refer them to the prosecution for violating the Foreign Trade Act.

For eight companies (820,000 pieces) that were caught selling masks without indicating the origin after repackaging imported masks, corrective measures will be taken to ensure the origin is labeled as at the time of import customs clearance. One company (20,000 pieces) that engaged in false advertising of origin in online transactions will be referred to the Fair Trade Commission.

The Korea Customs Service plans to include protective suits, thermometers, and disposable latex gloves in the list of items subject to crackdowns to eradicate origin labeling violations that threaten public health and unfairly profit by exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, suspecting that some companies may have exported foreign products disguised as Korean products, the agency will also focus its efforts on planned crackdowns targeting companies that export products under the guise of domestic quarantine supplies.

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