The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said it will conduct a second special crackdown starting on the 27th to eradicate hoarding of syringes and stabilize distribution order.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety confirmed market-disrupting practices at some distribution stages during the first special crackdown carried out after the recent enforcement of the "Public notice on prohibiting hoarding of syringes and needles, etc." Accordingly, it plans to proceed with a stronger follow-up inspection.
In the first special crackdown, which ran for 22 days from on the 20th, 32 companies were caught violating the public notice. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety decided to expand the scope of the crackdown and increase the precision of inspections based on these cases. This second crackdown will focus on: ▲ companies whose sales volume is significantly lower than their intake volume ▲ companies holding excessive inventory ▲ companies caught in the first crackdown ▲ companies that failed to report or falsely reported data.
To enhance the effectiveness of the crackdown, authorities plan to comprehensively analyze the materials obtained in the first round and company-by-company production, sales, and inventory data to identify companies suspected of hoarding and conduct intensive inspections.
Minister Oh Yu-Kyoung of the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "We will continue to crack down on companies suspected of violating the public notice banning hoarding of syringes and will respond firmly with a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal acts."
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung said on social media X that the government would take a hard-line stance regarding the results of the crackdown on hoarding of syringes on the 25th.
Lee wrote, "Antisocial behavior that seeks private gain by exploiting a community's crisis must be sternly punished," adding, "In addition to continued crackdowns, I instructed the Cabinet to take maximum ex post measures, including swift investigations and severe punishment, and the highest level of administrative sanctions." He then emphasized, "We must live together, not live well alone."