A Lotte Mart in Wuhu in east China’s Anhui Province was fined 20,000 yuan (about 2,906 US dollars) on Thursday for using illegal radio stations, according to local radio management authorities.
Thirty radio transmitters in the Lotte Mart, located in the Central City business district in Wuhu, were also confiscated, Legaldaily.com.cn reported.
A Lotte Mart in the Central City business district in Wuhu, Anhui Province in east China is fined for using illegal radio stations on March 1, 2017. /Legaldaily.com.cn Photo
Technicians from Wuhu's radio management authorities detected unapproved signals in the Central City business district on Tuesday afternoon. The next morning, law enforcers from Wuhu’s radio management, state security, and public security departments located the illegal signals in the Lotte Mart, where they found 30 unapproved radio transmitters.
According to Article 70 in the eighth chapter of Regulations on the Management of Radio Operation of China, the authorities confiscated all the 30 radio transmitters and fined the Lotte Mart 20,000 yuan on Wednesday afternoon.
Law enforcers confiscate 30 illegal radio transmitters in a Lotte Mart in the Central City business district in Wuhu, Anhui Province in east China on March 1, 2017. /Legaldaily.com.cn Photo
It was not the only Lotte Mart in China that was punished recently. A Lotte Mart in Beijing’s Chongwenmen area was fined 44,000 yuan (about 6,392 US dollars) for illegal advertising, according to a report by Jinghua.cn on Tuesday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry: Foreign companies in China must abide by law
The Lotte Group, which owns over 100 marts and five department stores in China, has been under fire as a result of the conglomerate’s role in South Korea’s deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which Seoul and Washington say is needed to defend against the DPRK’s missile threat.
But THAAD’s radar is capable of penetrating Chinese territory, which Beijing says is a threat to its security and will do nothing to ease tension with the DPRK.
There are few shoppers at a Lotte Mart in the Wangjing area of Beijing on March 1, 2017. /CGTN Photo
A Lotte Group affiliate agreed to a land-swap with the South Korean government on Monday, according to which a golf resort owned by Lotte in Seongju in the southeastern part of the country will be used as a site for the missile defense system.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the deployment of THAAD in South Korea, while many Chinese citizens are urging a boycott of Lotte.
There are few shoppers at a Lotte Mart in the Wangjing area of Beijing on March 1, 2017. /CGTN Photo
When answering a question on Chinese citizens’ boycott of Lotte, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Thursday that enterprises doing business in China must abide by the law.
“China welcomes foreign companies to invest in the country and will always protect their lawful rights and interests,” Geng said at a press conference in Beijing. “But their operation should be in compliance with laws and regulations.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang speaks at at a press conference in Beijing on March 2, 2017. /FMPRC.gov.cn Photo
He added that the success of a foreign enterprise in China depends on the decisions of the Chinese market and consumers.
The Lotte Group plans to close three stores in China this year due to their unimpressive performance, a Wednesday report by Beijing Business Today indicated.
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