The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has put a company’s CEO under custody and indicted four others for making and selling unlicensed face masks.

The five are suspected of manufacturing about 10 million unauthorized protective masks worth 4 billion won ($3.53 million) from June 26 to Oct. 16. They illegally distributed 4.02 million masks of them, and the ministry is tracking the distributing channels of the other six million.

The company put its sub-standard products into the packaging of three licensed brands -- Pureblue, Hwipure Mask, and Clean Soom – to make them appear licensed KF94 masks. According to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, making and selling unauthorized quasi-drugs are subject to prison terms of less than five years or fines of less than 50 million won.  

The ministry launched an investigation after receiving consumers' complaints that the purchased air mask appeared to be a fake. Further investigation is being conducted to find companies that distribute unauthorized air masks.

"We will conduct a rigorous investigation on violators to eliminate illegal manufacturing and distribution riding on social confusion caused by Covid-19," the ministry said. “Fortunately, they distributed these masks only at home, not exporting them abroad.”  

The ministry will also ferret out companies that sell imported air masks as if they were made in Korea.