Ordered Directly from Major Chinese Online Shopping Mall
Suspected of Cooking and Selling Food with Illegally Imported Ingredients
Two Chinese restaurants have been caught on suspicion of using illegally imported Chinese food ingredients, in violation of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety, among other laws.
According to the Jeju Autonomous Police Unit on May 15, a 34-year-old restaurant owner, identified as A, who operates a high-end Chinese restaurant in Jeju City popular among Chinese tourists, is accused of preparing and selling dishes using illegally imported food ingredients that he personally ordered through a major Chinese online shopping mall.
According to police, A was caught on May 12 after illegally purchasing a total of 37.5 kilograms of food ingredients?including 22.5 kilograms of special sauce, 10 kilograms of dried vegetables, and 5 kilograms of green tea?from a Chinese online shopping mall, with the intention of using them in Chinese dishes such as Huiguorou and Meizai Guyu. A stated, "It is difficult to recreate authentic Chinese flavors with sauces and ingredients distributed domestically, so I purchased and used them directly from the online shopping mall."
On May 14, a famous Chinese rice noodle chain restaurant in Jeju City was also caught. Business partners B (45) and C (46), who opened the restaurant this January, directly sourced food ingredients from the manufacturing plant of the chain's main branch in China and smuggled them in by dividing them into smaller portions to evade customs inspections.
It was confirmed that they illegally imported and used a total of 173 kilograms of 15 different types of food ingredients, including mala sauce for rice noodle broth and dried noodles.
B and C stated that, as this was their first chain restaurant, it was difficult to officially import small quantities of food ingredients, which led them to import them illegally. They added, "If we open additional chain locations, we plan to officially declare and import the ingredients."
The total amount of illegally imported food ingredients seized in this crackdown is 210 kilograms, all of which will be destroyed. Under current law, bringing in and using illegally imported food without declaration can result in up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won under the Special Act on Imported Food Safety.
Additionally, preparing and selling food using such ingredients can result in up to ten years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won under the Food Sanitation Act.
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