38% of Livestock and Agricultural Products with Misrepresented Origin Are from China... Dominating Holiday Tables

Analysis of Data from the Past 7 Years... Baechu Kimchi Most Frequent Item
Violation Punishable by Up to 7 Years Imprisonment or Fine Up to 100 Million Won

Among the agricultural and livestock products caught for false origin labeling, 38% were found to be of Chinese origin.

On the 17th, Song Eon-seok, a member of the People Power Party on the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee, cited data received from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to reveal this.

From 2018 to July of this year, over a period of 7 years and 7 months, there were 26,882 cases of agricultural and livestock products caught for false or missing origin labeling. Among these, false labeling accounted for 14,588 cases, with the largest number being 5,479 cases (37.6%) of Chinese origin. The second highest was U.S. origin cases, with 2,095 cases (14%). By product, napa cabbage kimchi accounted for the largest share at 29%, followed by pork (24%) and beef (10%).

During the same period, 12,294 cases of agricultural and livestock products with missing origin labels were detected. Similarly, Chinese origin products were the most common at 3,056 cases (25%).

Cases where the product was domestic but the origin was not labeled numbered 2,950 (24%), ranking second. This is presumed to be due to many cases where imported and domestic products were mixed but the domestic origin was not indicated. Among products with missing origin labels, pork was the highest at 2,271 cases (19%), followed by beef at 1,451 cases (12%) and napa cabbage kimchi at 996 cases (8%). During this period, the scale of agricultural and livestock products distributed in the market in violation of the origin labeling law reached 422.4 billion won.

Under current law, false labeling of the origin of agricultural and marine products is punishable by up to 7 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 100 million won, while missing origin labeling is subject to a fine of up to 10 million won.

Representative Song said, “Cases of origin labeling violations continue to occur, threatening holiday dining tables,” and added, “We are preparing legislation to eradicate this and encourage the consumption of domestic agricultural and marine products.”