"'Diesel Exhaust Fluid Shortage' Eases but... 'Bundled Sales and Widely Varying Prices Persist'"

'Yososu Daeran' Calms Down but
Bundled Sales and Selective Selling Cases Continue
Complaints of "Unfair" Prices Vary by Gas Station
Government Joint Crackdown Leads to Successive Arrests of Hoarding Companies

On the 7th, as the nationwide shortage of diesel exhaust fluid continues, a vehicle is refueling diesel at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] #1. Truck driver Jin Mo (42) recently experienced a frustrating situation while trying to purchase urea solution. After asking around among fellow drivers, he found a gas station that supposedly had urea solution in stock, but despite the inventory, he was told that "there is already a buyer." It turned out that the stock was set aside and sold selectively only to those with whom the station had a close relationship. Jin said, "There were widespread rumors that some places only sell to regular customers, but I didn’t think it was true," adding, "I didn’t know what to do and even asked the police, but they said it was not something they could take action on."

#2. Truck driver Go Mo (31) fell victim to a ‘bundling’ scheme. While waiting early in the morning to buy urea solution, he was told that he had to purchase a certain amount of diesel fuel in order to get the urea solution. Although he had refueled just a day before and didn’t need more fuel yet, the difficulty of obtaining urea solution forced him to accept the condition reluctantly. It was a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Urea solution supply is being carried out mainly at nationwide key gas stations, but purchasing difficulties are occurring everywhere. Not only is there rampant ‘bundling’ where urea solution is sold selectively to certain customers or only to those who buy fuel, but also large price differences between gas stations cause continuous frustration among those wanting to buy urea solution.

China has restricted the export of urea, a raw material essential for diesel vehicles' urea solution, leading to an expected decrease in urea solution production. On the 29th, urea solution was being sold at a gas station in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

It is not hard to find testimonies of such experiences at urea solution sales points. In truck-related group chats and communities, complaints such as "I had no choice but to buy fuel because urea solution was only sold to customers who refueled" are common. Many gas stations have different prices for urea solution when it arrives, leading to widespread dissatisfaction that "it feels like I paid too much."

According to the notice prohibiting hoarding of urea solution and its raw materials such as urea, which has been in effect since the 8th, acts of hoarding urea solution or avoiding sales for the purpose of profiteering can be punished. Storing the product without justifiable reason is also subject to penalties. Under the Price Stabilization Act, violations of hoarding and emergency supply adjustment measures can result in imprisonment of up to three years or fines of up to 100 million won. Although bundling is not directly prohibited by the notice, it may be considered an unfair trade practice under the Fair Trade Act. The Fair Trade Act prohibits forcing customers to purchase other products when buying a main product.

The government is operating a joint task force to inspect illegal distribution of urea solution. Since the crackdown, companies storing urea solution for profiteering or attempting illegal distribution have been increasingly caught nationwide. As of the 15th, the police are investigating a total of 147 cases, including four hoarding cases reported by the Ministry of Environment. By type, there are 10 cases of violations of the Price Stabilization Act (hoarding), one case of violation of the Atmospheric Environment Conservation Act (manufacturing standards), and 136 cases of online and offline sales fraud.

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