100,000 Illegal Fake Masks Including Packaging Seized

The left side shows a genuine mask, and the right side shows the packaging of the illegal product recently seized. The illegal mask lacks gloss and the pattern at the packaging seam is missing.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] A total of 100,000 counterfeit masks, which copied the design and packaging containers of domestically manufactured masks exactly, have been seized.

The Central Investigation Unit for Hazardous Crimes under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) recently announced on the 3rd that they uncovered a distribution company attempting to supply counterfeit masks to a local government after receiving a tip about illegally distributed masks in the market that plagiarized the design. The counterfeit masks seized this time were part of a contract to supply a total of 450,000 masks to the local government, with 250,000 genuine products initially supplied.

Later, as supply became difficult, the distributor tried to purchase and supply masks through a distribution broker who was not a mask manufacturer, but it was discovered that these were illegal masks. An MFDS official stated, "We responded swiftly on the day the tip was received and seized the products one day before delivery," adding, "The distribution company involved also testified that 'they were deceived as well,' so the exact circumstances will be clarified through a formal investigation."

The genuine mask is on the left, and the counterfeit mask is on the right. The dotted lines at the joint areas differ, and there are triangle shapes on both the left and right sides. The counterfeit mask has only one MB filter.

The counterfeit masks differ from the officially certified products by the MFDS in that the joint parts are different and the internal MB filter is one instead of two. Visually, there is little difference. The packaging containers are also similar, but the counterfeit products lack gloss and do not have patterns on the edges of the packaging.

The MFDS stated, "This case will be converted into a criminal investigation to thoroughly trace the distribution route of the counterfeit masks and impose strict penalties according to relevant laws," adding, "We will strictly deal with illegal manufacturers and distributors who violate laws by exploiting the COVID-19 situation."