Oh Yoo-kyung, Food and Drug Safety Commissioner: "Biohealth Approval and Review Period to Be Shortened to 240 Days"

World's Fastest Approval... 207 New Reviewers to Be Hired in First Round
Full GMO Labeling System to Be Implemented from December Next Year

Oh Yoo-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, announced plans to shorten the approval and review period for the biohealth sector to 240 days next year, making it the fastest in the world.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety briefing held on the 16th at the Government Sejong Convention Center. Photo by Yonhap News

At the presidential work briefing held on the 16th at the Government Sejong Convention Center in Sejong City, Commissioner Oh stated, "We will prioritize safety while accelerating the approval and review process in the biohealth sector." She added, "With the President's full support, we will reduce the previously lengthy 420-day review period-slower than the U.S. FDA and the European EMA-to just 240 days, the fastest in the world."

Regarding the expansion of review personnel, she explained, "We plan to hire 207 people in the first round and proceed with another recruitment next year," adding, "The first recruitment notice will be released in January."

Commissioner Oh also pledged, "To help K-Food, K-Bio, and K-Beauty overcome non-tariff barriers and expand globally, we will provide regulatory information on export destinations, enhance cooperation among agencies, and improve our standards for safety management." She continued, "We will do our utmost to make our standards the global benchmark, ensuring public confidence and supporting further growth."

She further added, "We will use AI to detect illegal online advertisements, precisely block hazardous imported foods, and improve the accuracy of foreign substance detection in meat products."

Regarding the full labeling system for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), she stated, "The bill has passed, and we are listening to the opinions of both consumers and industry representatives. Once the administrative notice is issued in February next year, the GMO amendment will be announced in August, and following additional explanatory sessions in the second half of the year, it will be implemented in December."

Commissioner Oh said, "Until now, products like soybean paste made from GMO soybeans have not been labeled as 'GMO,' but under the new full labeling system, they will be."

When President Lee Jae-myung advised, "If something is excessively large or of unusually high quality, we should be cautious," Commissioner Oh stressed, "All such cases can be detected through genetic analysis and next-generation sequencing. You can trust the system."