The Presidential Office on the 1st dismissed remarks by Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, who said the government was reviewing purchase limits on volume-based waste bags, stating flatly that "there will be no purchase restrictions."
A senior Presidential Office official told reporters at the Chunchugwan press center that "28,000 tons of Russian naphtha are being imported," adding there would be no restrictions. The official said, "What the president instructed the Minister of Climate and Energy was to coordinate regionally, as the stock of volume-based waste bags may vary among local governments." The official stressed that "the overall supply is not insufficient."
Earlier that day, Minister Kim appeared on Kim Eo-jun's News Factory on YouTube and said, "Sales restrictions on volume-based waste bags have so far been voluntary, but until the situation stabilizes, I think we may need per-person purchase limits like the mask rationing during COVID-19."
Meanwhile, a senior Presidential Office official said President Lee Jae-myung instructed at an emergency economic review meeting held at the Presidential Office that day that "the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should consult with each other and report back on enabling Korean-flagged vessels — 26 ships currently stranded at the Strait of Hormuz — to transport crude oil through the Red Sea if shipping companies wish to do so."