Food and Drug Safety Ministry's Lax Pesticide Residue Inspections "Threaten Public Health"

Carcinogen Detected at 19 Times the Limit in Imported Sesame Seeds
Kaeho Lee: "Comprehensive Investigation Needed to Minimize Harm"

Kaeho Lee, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

An emergency has been declared regarding the safety management of imported agricultural products. This follows the recent discovery that glyphosate, a herbicide classified as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization (WHO), was detected in imported sesame seeds from the United States at levels exceeding the domestic maximum residue limit by as much as 19 times.

Kaeho Lee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Damyang, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, and Jangseong in South Jeolla Province, pointed out during the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's parliamentary audit on October 21 that the Food and Drug Safety Ministry’s (hereafter “the Ministry”) administratively convenient pesticide residue inspections are putting public health at risk.

According to Assemblyman Lee, although the domestic maximum residue limit for glyphosate in sesame seeds is extremely strict at 0.05 mg/kg, the Ministry has in effect neglected thorough inspections of imported sesame seeds from the United States. In particular, the United States allows a glyphosate residue limit of 40 mg/kg for sesame seeds, which is 800 times higher than the Korean standard, leading to criticism that the current issue was already foreseeable.

Furthermore, although 1,820 tons of U.S. sesame seeds were imported this year over 24 shipments, the Ministry tested only two cases and issued a “compliant” assessment, demonstrating a lax attitude.

Assemblyman Lee criticized, “It is questionable whose interests the Ministry is serving, as it only announced plans to strengthen related inspections after the problem surfaced.”

This issue of inadequate glyphosate inspections by the Ministry is not limited to sesame seeds. The situation is similar for U.S. wheat, which has a residue limit of 30 mg/kg-six times higher than the domestic limit of 5.0 mg/kg.

For U.S. wheat, of which 1.8 million tons have been imported into Korea this year alone, the Ministry has suspended detailed glyphosate inspections since 2023, citing the absence of any non-compliance cases in tests conducted from 2016 to 2022.

Assemblyman Lee stated, “With the opening of agricultural imports, agriculture, rural communities, and farmers are already facing difficulties, and now public health is also threatened due to imported agricultural products laden with pesticides. The Ministry must conduct a comprehensive investigation as soon as possible to minimize harm to the public.”

He further emphasized, “I will do my utmost to ensure that public health rights are protected by improving the system so that mandatory detailed pesticide residue inspections are carried out for imported agricultural products whose export country’s residue limits are higher than those of Korea.”