[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 60s who mixed hundreds of thousands of liters of marine fuel oil with automotive fuel and supplied and sold it to gas stations was sentenced to prison.
According to the court on the 29th, Judge Park Hyerim of the Criminal Division 13 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim (61, male), who was indicted for violating the Petroleum Business Act, to 1 year and 6 months in prison on the 25th.
Kim was prosecuted on charges of conspiring with acquaintances from February to May last year to manufacture and sell 'fake petroleum' products by supplying 335,990 liters of marine diesel fuel to gas stations and others in 18 instances. It was investigated that he even performed a 'decolorization' process to make the marine diesel fuel resemble automotive diesel fuel using a self-made tanker truck.
Marine diesel fuel contains a high amount of sulfur, an environmental pollutant, so using it as automotive fuel can burden engines and pollute the air environment. The prosecution judged that Kim engaged in so-called 'undocumented' transactions without issuing tax invoices to exploit the 'tax exemption benefits' of marine diesel fuel, earning a profit of about 50 million won by 100 to 150 won per liter.
In court, Kim's side completely denied the charges. They also argued that "even if decolorization was done, it ultimately failed, and the sulfur content was not high."
Judge Park rejected these claims, stating, "They are nothing but absurd excuses and cannot be accepted." He also reprimanded, "Despite having prior convictions (three times) for similar crimes with prison and fines, the defendant committed the crime again."
Judge Park added, "Several people divided roles and committed the crime in an organized manner, and the defendant played a significant role in decolorizing marine diesel fuel and supplying and selling it to gas stations," and "considering the profit of about 50 million won earned over three months and other sentencing factors comprehensively."
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