South Korean police launched an investigation on Tuesday into four medical‑device distributors suspected of hoarding syringes and needles, a breach of a newly‑imposed anti‑hoarding ban. The probe follows a complaint from the Food and Drug Safety Ministry and comes as the Middle‑East conflict disrupts supply chains for naphtha, a petroleum‑derived feedstock essential for producing many plastic medical items.
The United States and Israel’s recent strikes on Iran, together with the near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have curtailed shipments of naphtha. More than half of South Korea’s naphtha imports last year passed through the strait, according to the presidential office. The shortage has pressured petrochemical producers in Asia and prompted the South Korean government to act.
The ban, announced earlier this month, limits firms to holding no more than 150 percent of their average monthly sales volume in syringes and needles for a period of five days or longer, and forbids refusals to sell without a valid reason. Authorities say some companies are exploiting the supply crunch by stockpiling products and reselling them at inflated prices. One distributor was found to have retained roughly 130,000 units beyond the allowed period.
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency spokesperson told AFP that the investigation was “promptly begun” and that inspections across the supply chain would be intensified to curb illegal practices. President Lee Jae‑Myung, in a social‑media post on Saturday, pledged to take “the strongest possible” measures against “antisocial behaviour that exploits community crises to worsen them and profit from them.” His chief of staff later announced that South Korea had secured an additional 2.1 million tonnes of naphtha from Saudi Arabia, Oman and other sources via routes that avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
The disruption highlights the vulnerability of global medical‑supply chains to geopolitical tensions. With many countries relying on naphtha for plastic components, continued instability in the Middle East could prolong shortages and drive up prices. South Korean authorities intend to monitor compliance closely and pursue further action against firms that breach the anti‑hoarding regulations.
