South Korea Curbs Syringe Hoarding Amid Iran Supply Disruptions

South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has launched a nationwide probe to curb the hoarding of medical syringes and prevent price gouging. The regulatory intervention follows the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has severely disrupted the supply of naphtha, a critical petroleum derivative used in manufacturing medical-grade plastics. Despite these supply chain pressures, daily syringe production in South Korea remains steady at approximately 4.5 million units, slightly above 2025 averages. Authorities are moving proactively to prevent artificial bottlenecks caused by speculative demand amid geopolitical uncertainty. Analysts suggest that the ongoing conflict involving Iran poses a significant risk to industrial inputs for major Asian economies. This situation highlights the growing vulnerability of the medical device sector to energy-related logistics failures.