Four Individuals Criminally Charged for Manufacturing and Selling 'Fake Oil' Mixed with Heating Kerosene

Seoul Civil Affairs Police Unit and Korea Petroleum Management Institute Joint Investigation Uncovers Fake Petroleum
Increased Air Pollutant Emissions and Equipment Failure Risks When Refueling Construction Machinery with Counterfeit Fuel

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Operators who mixed heating kerosene, which is cheaper than diesel, to produce large quantities of 'fake petroleum' and sold and distributed it as construction machinery fuel at large construction sites were caught through an investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Life Judicial Police Unit held a briefing at Seoul City Hall on the 30th and announced that, after a six-month joint investigation with the Korea Petroleum Management Service Northern Metropolitan Headquarters, four individuals involved in illegal petroleum distribution were criminally charged. Additionally, to prevent further consumer damage, all 4,274 liters of fake petroleum stored by these individuals were seized and will be disposed of in the future.

Fake petroleum refers to petroleum products manufactured by mixing petroleum products of different grades with other petroleum products for the purpose of use or intended use as fuel for vehicles or machinery. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, if fake petroleum mixed with other petroleum products is used for a long time in construction machinery that should use diesel, it increases emissions of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, which are air pollutants, adversely affecting air quality and potentially causing construction machinery malfunctions, thereby significantly impacting safety management at construction sites.

Operators who manufacture and sell fake petroleum are subject to up to five years imprisonment or fines up to 200 million KRW under the Petroleum and Petroleum Substitute Fuel Business Act. The competent district office orders business suspension, registration cancellation, or closure of business premises depending on the violation and continuously monitors compliance.

Among the four individuals charged this time, three manufactured and sold fake petroleum by mixing up to 70% kerosene with normal diesel products. The total amount of fake petroleum they sold was 752 liters, and the amount of fake petroleum in their possession at the time of arrest was 4,274 liters.

Mr. A was charged with manufacturing fake petroleum mixed with 65% kerosene for sale at construction sites and selling 390 liters to construction machinery. Mr. B mixed 70% kerosene to inflate the volume of petroleum products and sold 176 liters. Mr. C sold 186 liters of fake petroleum mixed with 20% kerosene to a construction site in Seongbuk-gu due to a fueling attendant's negligence during petroleum product delivery.

Mr. D was caught in March refueling 200 liters of diesel into a concrete pump truck at a construction site in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, using a mobile refueling vehicle with a load capacity exceeding the permitted 6 kiloliters for mobile sales.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Life Judicial Police Unit plans to conduct additional investigations to determine whether the fake petroleum sellers caught this time acted alone or if there are additional accomplices.

Since fake petroleum can be easily manufactured without special equipment or professional technology, it is expected that additional manufacturing and sales activities may occur. Therefore, the government and related city and district departments will establish a cooperative system, and continuous joint crackdowns with the Korea Petroleum Management Service will be conducted to strongly suppress the manufacturing and sale of fake petroleum.

Park Jae-yong, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Life Judicial Police Unit, said, "Using fake petroleum not only causes air pollution but also harms construction companies struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continuously respond through close cooperation with autonomous districts and related organizations to prevent air quality pollution and damage to good-faith consumers."

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