Fine of 20 Million KRW Imposed on Din Tai Fung Korea for Distributing Uncertified Frozen Dumplings

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The Chinese restaurant franchise 'Din Tai Fung Korea,' which was prosecuted for illegally distributing 2.4 million frozen dumplings without undergoing HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certification, was sentenced to a fine in the first trial.

On the morning of the 6th, Judge Kim Taeksung of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 2 sentenced the corporation Din Tai Fung Korea, indicted for violating the Food Sanitation Act, to a fine of 20 million KRW. Regarding Mr. Jung, who worked as an operations team leader and handled overall management tasks, the court suspended the sentence.

Seoul Central District Court. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Previously, Din Tai Fung Korea was prosecuted for violating the Food Sanitation Act by voluntarily returning the HACCP certification around January 2016 but illegally distributing approximately 2,488,000 frozen dumplings over 3 years and 7 months. The illegally distributed frozen dumplings amounted to approximately 3.6486 billion KRW in sales value.

Under the Food Sanitation Act, businesses that manufacture, process, and distribute frozen dumpling products must comply with HACCP certification standards and follow related notifications to maintain hygiene management and other prerequisite conditions. The prosecution judged that as continuous costs were incurred to meet certification standards and factory operating losses accumulated, the crime was committed to reduce operating expenses.

Din Tai Fung Korea argued, "Since the dumplings were only cooked at food service establishments, there was no violation of the HACCP certification obligation," but the first trial court did not accept this claim.

Judge Kim pointed out, "Manufacturing, storing, and distributing frozen dumplings, and ultimately cooking and selling them, constitutes manufacturing without HACCP certification." He added, "It can be acknowledged that Mr. Jung committed the crime under the direction of the chairman of Din Tai Fung Korea's holding company, and Mr. Jung has confessed to the facts of this case."

However, CEO Kim and Planning Team Leader Kim, who were also indicted, were acquitted. Judge Kim stated, "Based solely on the evidence submitted by the prosecution, it cannot be concluded that CEO Kim and Mr. Kim had the intention to execute their will or made essential contributions to the crime, and during the trial process, the prosecution failed to specifically claim or prove what positions and roles they had in the crime's progress."