Surge in Secondhand Transactions... MFDS States "Online Sale of Pharmaceuticals is Clearly Illegal"

Food and Medical Devices Can Be Sold Online... Only Operators Who Have Registered Their Business

(Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has urged caution regarding the trade of food, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices through online secondhand trading platforms.

According to the Ministry on the 3rd, food and medical devices can be sold online, but only by businesses that have registered their operations in accordance with relevant laws. In the case of pharmaceuticals, online sales are completely prohibited under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

When purchasing food online, consumers should verify whether the product was made by a registered business, and for processed foods excluding agricultural and marine products, the expiration date must be checked. Additionally, health functional foods can only be sold online by businesses that have registered their sales operations, and to ensure safe online purchases, it is essential to confirm that the health functional food is recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

For medical devices, except for products exempt from sales registration such as condoms, thermometers, and automatic electronic blood pressure monitors, only businesses that have registered their sales operations can sell online. When purchasing, it is crucial to confirm that the product is authorized, and special caution is required as medical devices previously used by individuals may have compromised storage conditions such as inadequate disinfection or cleaning.

Pharmaceuticals sold online violate the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. The Ministry emphasized, "Pharmaceuticals sold online have unclear manufacturing and distribution channels, making it impossible to verify their safety, and serious side effects may occur."

Furthermore, to eradicate illegal distribution of food and pharmaceuticals through online platforms, the Ministry signed a business agreement on the same day with four online secondhand trading platform operators: Danggeun Market, Bungaejangter, Junggonara, and Hello Market. Through this, illegal distribution and unfair advertising of food and pharmaceuticals will be promptly blocked, and cooperation will be established in education and publicity. A working-level council will be formed in the future to discuss cooperation measures for self-regulation.

A Ministry official stated, "We plan to strengthen monitoring of illegal online secondhand trading focusing on pharmaceuticals and medical devices," adding, "We will work with online secondhand platform operators to expand the foundation for self-regulation by providing information on product approvals and relevant laws."

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