Police have launched an investigation into four medical device vendors suspected of hoarding syringes.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety on the 27th filed a complaint with police against four medical device vendors in which hoarding allegations were confirmed.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety conducted its own crackdown on syringe hoarding for three days from the 20th and caught 32 companies that violated the notice banning syringe hoarding. Some companies were found to have stockpiled 130,000 syringes without selling them, or supplied 620,000, equal to 59 times the average monthly sales volume, only to specific transaction partners.
The Korean National Police Agency said it immediately assigned the case to the anti-corruption and economic crime investigation units of the competent provincial agencies upon receiving the complaint and ordered a swift investigation. The agencies assigned include the Incheon agency, Gyeonggi Southern agency, Gyeonggi Northern agency, and Jeonnam agency.
An official at the Korean National Police Agency said, "We plan to respond firmly to illegal acts such as hoarding to stabilize prices directly tied to people's livelihoods and to establish a sound distribution order."
Police plan to gather intelligence on hoarding in all directions and, in close cooperation with the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety and other relevant agencies, strengthen inspections across the entire distribution process.