Gyeongnam Province to Enforce Stricter Origin Labeling Inspections on Japanese Seafood

Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 29th that it will strengthen the enforcement of origin labeling for imported Japanese seafood in response to Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

According to Gyeongsangnam-do, regarding the recent controversy over the resumption of imports of seafood such as sea squirts produced in the waters around Fukushima, Japan, special measures blocking the import of seafood from Fukushima Prefecture and eight neighboring prefectures, which have been banned since September 2013, remain in effect.

The eight prefectures are Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Chiba, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori.

Starting in July, the enforcement decree of the Act on the Labeling of Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products will be partially amended to expand the seafood items subject to origin labeling in restaurants from 15 to 20, adding five items: sea squirts, yellowtail, scallops, abalone, and busse.

The labeled items are flatfish, rockfish, red sea bream, loach, eel, octopus, pollock, mackerel, hairtail, squid, blue crab, croaker, tuna, anglerfish, webfoot octopus, sea squirts, yellowtail, scallops, abalone, and busse.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

In accordance with the amendment of the enforcement decree, the province plans to strengthen inspections of these items and increase the enforcement of origin labeling for imported Japanese seafood to four times a year.

For Japanese seafood items with increasing import volumes such as scallops, red sea bream, yellowtail, and sea squirts, as well as those subject to mandatory reporting of import and distribution history like refrigerated Japanese hairtail, refrigerated pollock, and live eel, the province plans to conduct focused inspections by verifying the distribution history according to the import period of major items.

Additionally, during regular inspections such as Lunar New Year, Chuseok, summer vacation season, and kimchi-making season, enforcement will continue on Japanese imported seafood items whose import and consumption increase during these periods.

Kim Je-hong, Director of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau, stated, “We will do our best to ensure the safety of seafood through thorough enforcement of origin labeling and to prevent any damage to local fishermen.”