Cheong Wa Dae said on the 1st, "It is not true that there are purchase limits on volume-based trash bags." That morning, Minister Kim Seong-hwan of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said, "It seems we should limit sales per person," but in reality there will be no purchase limits.
A Cheong Wa Dae official met with reporters that day and said, "It seems the Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment misspoke in the morning in saying there could be purchase limits on volume-based bags," adding, "28,000 tons of Russian naphtha is coming in, and there are no such things as purchase limits on volume-based bags." Naphtha is a raw material for volume-based bags and is a chemical produced during crude oil refining.
The official said, "What President Lee Jae-myung instructed the Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment was along the lines of, 'Since each local government may have slightly different stock levels of volume-based bags, adjust by region,'" adding, "There will be no shortage in overall supply of (volume-based bags) or any purchase limits."
Earlier that morning, Minister Kim Seong-hwan appeared on YouTube's "Kim Ou-joon's It's Hard to Be Humble News Factory" and said, "There is no disruption to actual supply and demand, but if some residents buy up a ton, stocks run out," adding, "Sales had been voluntarily restricted, but until things stabilize a bit, like masks, perhaps we should limit sales per person."
Such remarks by Minister Kim drew criticism for contradicting what he said earlier. On the 30th, Minister Kim wrote on his Facebook, "There is a sufficient supply of volume-based bags, so there is no need to worry," adding, "Even in the worst-case scenario, we have thorough measures in place, including allowing the use of regular bags."
President Lee Jae-myung also, at a Cabinet meeting the previous day, mentioned the spread online and on social media of posts saying "trash bag prices are going up, so you should buy them in advance," and ordered a stern police investigation, calling it "a serious criminal act that disrupts social order and hinders the nation's efforts to overcome the crisis." He also said, "Some are saying that trash bags are in short supply so prices will rise and you should buy them in advance, but trash bags are not commercial goods," adding, "They are a kind of tax to cover administrative processing costs, set by local government ordinance, so prices would not be raised at will and cannot be raised."