Over 1,000 Tons Blocked in Five Years Due to Carcinogens and Illegal Antibiotics
Jin Jin-sook: "Thorough Customs Inspections and Proactive Management Are Crucial"
Jin Jin-sook, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
With the Chuseok holiday approaching, concerns are growing over the safety of holiday tables as it has been confirmed that more than 1,000 tons of imported foods for ancestral rites have been deemed unfit and blocked from entering the country over the past five years.
According to an analysis by Jin Jin-sook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Buk-gu, Gwangju, of the "2020-June 2025 Noncompliance Status at Customs Clearance" data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, a variety of hazardous substances-including cadmium, carcinogens, and illegal antibiotics-have been detected in foods for ancestral rites such as bracken, yellow croaker, and livestock products at the customs clearance stage. As a result, dozens of tons are being filtered out each year.
In particular, bracken-a common dish on the ancestral table-was blocked from entry into the country in quantities exceeding 173 tons over the past five years due to excessive levels of cadmium, pesticide residues, sulfur dioxide, and E. coli. This issue has been recurring, with 55 tons detected in just the first half of this year alone.
Additionally, imported yellow croaker has been found to contain large amounts of "nitrofuran," which poses a high risk of human residue, and "ethoxyquin," a substance suspected of being carcinogenic. Nearly 500 tons of yellow croaker containing these substances, which are banned in the European Union, have been blocked over the past five years, and 42 tons were returned in the first half of this year alone.
Imported livestock products (beef, pork, chicken, lamb) have also been found to contain illegal growth promoters such as nandrolone and illegal antibiotics such as nitrofuran, resulting in more than 300 tons being banned from entry.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated that all noncompliant products were intercepted before reaching the market, so there was no direct harm to consumers. However, there are growing calls for strengthening the safety management system for high-risk items, as these problems recur every year.
Jin Jin-sook said, "In just the first half of this year, nearly 100 tons of foods for ancestral rites such as bracken, yellow croaker, and bellflower root were deemed unfit and either returned or destroyed. With Chuseok approaching, thorough inspections at the customs clearance stage and proactive management of high-risk items are more important than ever." She added, "If the public actively uses domestic agricultural, fishery, and livestock products for a safer table, it will benefit both health and the local economy."
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