Yonhap News reported on April 21 that as the COVID-19 epidemic in South Korea gradually stabilizes and the supply of masks becomes increasingly abundant, relevant domestic parties have inquired about the possibility of exporting masks.
According to the Korean Food and Drug Safety Agency on April 21, as the supply of masks has improved, it has recently received inquiries about whether it can export the remaining domestic masks. From 0:00 on February 26, in order to stabilize the supply and demand of masks, the government will make emergency supply and demand adjustments for masks and hand disinfectants, and in principle, exports will be prohibited. Only mask manufacturers can export, and export volume is limited to less than 10% of daily output. If it is a humanitarian export, it must be approved by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The Food and Drug Administration stated at a press conference a few days ago that it will continue to maintain the above position for a certain period of time.
At the same time, the government is considering humanitarian assistance of masks to the United States, Japan and the 16 participating countries in the “6.25” War (Korean War). A government source said: “Priority will be provided to countries that request support,” and “the supply of masks and public opinion are prerequisites.” At present, the supply of masks in South Korea continues to hit new highs, and the number of people actually purchasing public masks has been decreasing. The government believes that public opinion is more important and has stated that it will conduct a public opinion survey before making a decision.
