Korea to restrict sales of cold medicine amid concerns of panic-buying

Korea plans to restrict the amount of cold medicine sold at pharmacies and penalize those who resell them amid concerns of panic-buying during the winter months.

A pharmacist organizes stacks of medicine at a pharmacy in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 27. [YONHAP]

Korea plans to restrict the amount of cold medicine sold at pharmacies and penalize those who resell them amid concerns of panic-buying during the winter months.

To regulate the smuggling of Korean cold medicine overseas, all those who take cold medicine out of the country for the purpose of selling them will have to report to the Korea Customs Service.

Under the current Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, pharmacies are prohibited from selling medicine in bulk. Those who violate the law will be penalized by up to a year of imprisonment or a fine of 10 million won ($8,000).

People without a pharmaceutical license who try to sell medicine will also be penalized by up to five years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 50 million won.

Specific details regarding the limit of the number of cold medicine that a person can buy and the date that the restriction will start is still under discussion and will be announced early next week, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]