INSPECTIONS ON HOARDING HYGIENE GOODS

[Anchor Lead]

The government placed yesterday tough restrictions on massive exports of face masks and hand sanitizers. Korean authorities caught the first violator of this regulation - a foreign national who attempted to smuggle out 2,000 masks to China. The government also continues to inspect retailers to stop hoarding of anti-virus goods.

[Pkg]

Incheon International Airport. A customs officer opens a big box belonging to a traveler and counts how many face masks each box contains. Yesterday, authorities began enforcing a regulation mandating that an official export report be filed when exporting more than 1,000 face masks. Customs employees transport a cart filled with these face masks. There are 2,200 of them. The masks were confiscated from a male foreigner who attempted to smuggle them out on a flight to China. This man had checked in his suitcase and the box at the counter. When asked whether there were any masks, he replied that he had fewer than 300 and that the box contained his clothes and blankets.

[Soundbite] KWON OH-SIK(INCHEON MAIN CUSTOMS) : "He claims he didn't know where to file the report and decided to lie that he had fewer than 300 masks so that he didn't have to report it."

But an X-ray inspection revealed what was really inside the box. The man claimed that he had bought the masks at a pharmacy to donate them to a hospital in China. Authorities plan to investigate how the pharmacy came to have more than 2,000 face masks. A team from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety enters a warehouse. Boxes and boxes of masks are found inside. There were 1.5 times more masks than the average amount sold per month. The inspectors confirmed that the masks were kept here for more than five days despite the shortage. The business argues that hoarding was unintentional.

[Soundbite] (BUSINESS EMPLOYEE(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "There could have been delivery delays, accidents, and cancellations."

But the inspection team saw it as hoarding.

[Soundbite] KIM SANG-HYEON(MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY) : "According to the law, violators can be sentenced to up to 2 years in prison or up to KRW 50 mn in fine."

The government's all-out crackdown is expected to continue for some time.