'Fake Mask Scandal' Ministop Issues Apology and Offers Consumer Refunds

CEO Shim Gwanseop Issues Apology
"Confirmed Sale of Defective Masks... Full Refund"
Sale of Counterfeit Products... Insufficient Effort in Product Verification

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Ministop, which sold counterfeit KF-grade health masks, has posted an apology on its website and decided to implement consumer refund measures.

According to the distribution industry on the 27th, Shim Gwan-seop, CEO of Ministop, stated in an apology on the website the previous day, "Since the 2nd of this month, it was confirmed that the 'Friday KF94 Mask' product did not meet the KF94 grade standards and was a defective product."

CEO Shim said, "We apologize for the unfortunate incident," and added, "As the convenience store headquarters, we will fulfill our role to ensure safe products are supplied to customers and will take thorough measures to prevent recurrence through prior inspections before product introduction."

Previously, Ministop sold the Friday KF94 Mask from the 2nd to the 24th of this month, but it was confirmed that this was not an official product made by the original manufacturer Plan Zero. The mask was a counterfeit product that cleverly copied the shape and outer packaging of the genuine product, and filter tests showed it did not meet the KF94 hygiene grade standards. It was also confirmed that a forged test report was submitted at the time of delivery.

The final seller, Ministop, is facing criticism for insufficient efforts in final product quality inspection. This issue has seriously damaged the credibility of COVID-19 related products amid the worsening problem of counterfeit mask distribution this year.

Accordingly, Ministop will implement consumer refund measures. Customers who purchased the mask at Ministop stores from the 2nd to the 24th can receive a full refund starting today (the 27th) by bringing the purchase receipt or the mask to the store. If visiting the store is difficult, customers can contact the customer center.

A Ministop official explained, "We will focus on resolving the situation, including consumer refunds, first," and added, "The business relationship with the vendor who supplied the problematic masks, internal responsibility, or disciplinary actions will be addressed later."

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