Distributor of 200,000 Cosmetics with 'Expired or Near Expiry' Dates Referred to Prosecutors

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Metropolitan Investigation Unit and Intelligent Crime Investigation Unit
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A distributor who purchased expired or near-expiration cosmetics and resold them domestically and internationally has been referred to the prosecution.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Intelligent Crime Investigation Unit announced on the 21st that earlier this month, they sent Mr. A, the CEO of a distribution company located in Gyeonggi-do, to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment on charges of violating the Cosmetics Act.

Mr. A purchased 5.1 billion KRW worth of cosmetics that had expired or were near expiration and should have been discarded. From 2017 to this year, Mr. A bought 300,000 cosmetics at prices around 1% of the sales price and manipulated the expiration dates to sell them to other companies. It is understood that Mr. A gained approximately 50 million KRW in illicit profits during this process.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that he initially intended to sell the cosmetics overseas but due to difficulties in export caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he also distributed them domestically. The police seized 100,000 cosmetics that Mr. A had not yet distributed and recommended that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety improve the system by creating a traceability record system to manage the inventory quantity of cosmetics.