South Korea to enforce stricter measures against fake gasoline dealers

South Korea has declared an all-out war on fake gasoline, by significantly increasing fines for people caught selling unauthorized products. The government also gave investigative jurisdiction to government officials as a way to combat the production and sale of fake gasoline. For starters, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy has changed the commonly used name for pilfered fuel from alternative fuel to fake fuel. A new law will also revoke the license of any vendor caught selling fake gasoline, even if it is their first offense. Since 2006, the South Korean government had outlawed fake fuel mainly because it was not subject to the special government tax imposed on fuel, although government officials said the fake gasoline is highly unstable and is a threat to the user’s safety. In September, two explosions in two gasoline stations that were selling fake gasoline, as well as the explosion of a fake gasoline tank resulted in four deaths and prompted the government to enforce stricter measures. “The government urgently needed to set up fundamental solutions for the fake gasoline issue as it was not only creating an issue of tax evasion but also seriously threatening the safety of people,” the ministry said in a press release. (October 14, 2011)