‘Overseas Direct Purchase Abuse’ Small Camera Smuggling Company Caught

A smuggling company that secretly brought ultra-small cameras (commonly known as spy cameras) and voice recorders into the country through overseas direct purchase was caught by customs authorities.

Customs authorities recently uncovered a smuggling operation that secretly imported hidden cameras and other items into the country through overseas direct purchases. Hidden cameras and other items illegally imported by the smuggling operation are displayed. Photo by Korea Customs Service

On the 13th, the Busan Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service announced that it had caught two companies smuggling 4,903 items of Chinese-made spy cameras and voice recorders worth about 130 million won in violation of customs laws.

According to customs, Company A and others are suspected of abusing a system that exempts formal import declaration when purchasing goods through overseas direct purchase and bringing them into the country, disguising spy cameras as personal use items to smuggle them from January 2018 to October 2022.

Under current law, when bringing in personal use items worth less than $150 (or $200 for shipments from the United States) through overseas direct purchase, formal import declaration is not required, allowing duty-free clearance.

Company A and others exploited this institutional loophole by selling the imported goods through online shopping malls they operated, evading taxation and also avoiding the Radio Waves Act inspection required for import.

The Radio Waves Act inspection requires that electronic devices emitting electromagnetic waves obtain the “Broadcasting and Communication Equipment Electromagnetic Compatibility Registration” from the National Radio Research Agency to prevent consumer harm caused by radio waves. However, Company A and others evaded this by pretending the goods were personal use items brought in through overseas direct purchase.

The spy cameras smuggled by Company A and others were disguised as everyday items such as watches, smartphones, portable batteries, internet routers, and razors, making it difficult to visually identify them as cameras capable of video recording.

Most notably, the lens size was about 1 mm, very small, and the cameras could be wirelessly connected to smartphones for real-time video playback, recording, and remote control, raising a high risk of misuse for privacy invasion, customs explained.

Customs seized 255 spy cameras and other items that Company A and others had stored for sale, and to prevent consumer harm, requested the Central Radio Management Office to order the destruction and sales suspension of the goods previously sold by Company A and others.

Moon Haeng-yong, Director of the Investigation Bureau at Busan Customs, said, “Cases abusing the overseas direct purchase system have been rapidly increasing recently,” and added, “We plan to strengthen crackdowns on illegal overseas direct purchase offenders to prevent illegal import and distribution of items that threaten public safety.”

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