Daegu Environment Cheong Joint Crackdown on Hoarding and Illegal Distribution of Urea Solution

- Urea Water, Hoarding of Urea Punishable by Up to 3 Years Imprisonment or Fines Up to 100 Million Won
- Immediate Distribution Block and Recall Orders for Non-Compliance with Manufacturing Standards and Other Administrative Measures

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The Daegu Regional Environmental Office is launching a full-scale crackdown on distributors of automotive catalysts (AdBlue) and its raw material, urea, until the supply situation normalizes, as the shortage of AdBlue has emerged as a serious issue.

The joint crackdown team, composed of the Environmental Office, National Tax Service, Fair Trade Commission, and National Police Agency, announced that starting from the 8th, they will focus on cracking down on market disruption activities such as hoarding and illegal manufacturing and sales of AdBlue.

In particular, if market disruption activities such as hoarding take advantage of the AdBlue shortage, immediate prosecution will be pursued under the "Price Stabilization Act."

If AdBlue is manufactured, sold, or used in violation of manufacturing standards, penalties of up to 7 years imprisonment or fines up to 100 million KRW may be imposed under the "Air Quality Preservation Act," and immediate administrative measures such as distribution blocking and recall orders will also be enforced.

Additionally, using agricultural-grade urea to produce and use automotive AdBlue is also subject to administrative sanctions.

The crackdown team urged that if any market disruption activities such as hoarding are discovered, reports should be made to the Daegu Regional Environmental Office AdBlue Reporting Center or the National Civil Complaint Portal.

Lee Young-seok, head of the Daegu Regional Environmental Office, stated, "Through the AdBlue intensive joint crackdown team, we will strive to preemptively block market disruption activities and illegal distribution of automotive AdBlue to protect the safety of the public."

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