The government on Monday launched an inter-agency team to monitor illegal market activities surrounding urea water solution amid a dire shortage of the key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions due to tightened imports, officials said.

The launch of the special inspection team, comprising 31 sub-teams and 108 personnel, came as South Korea has been grappling with a shortage of urea water solution, known as diesel exhaust fluid, and its surging prices in recent weeks, since China tightened exports of fertilizers and related materials, including urea, in October amid a power crisis caused by a coal supply shortage.

South Korea heavily relies on China for its supply of urea water solution, as 97.6 percent of its import came from China in the first nine months of this year.

The inter-agency team comprised of authorities from the environment and industry ministries, the Fair Trade Commission, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service is expected to inspect over 10,000 urea water solution-dealing firms across the country.

Authorities warned urea water solution traders, including importer and retailers, could face jail sentences of up to three years or a fine of up to 100 million won ($84,000) if the amount of the material in storage exceeds 10 percent compared to what they had in possession last year.

The environment ministry, which leads the inter-agency team, said it plans to thoroughly monitor the national urea water solution retail network in order to strengthen crackdowns on illegal activities. (Yonhap)