Representative Jeong Heeyong: "Authorities Must Step Up Inspections During the Holiday Season"
Over the past five years, there have been more than 7,700 cases in which the country of origin of Seollal holiday staples such as apples, beef, and mackerel placed on ancestral ritual tables was falsely labeled as domestic or not indicated at all, leading to enforcement actions by the authorities.
According to data received by Representative Jung Heeyong of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, a total of 7,782 cases of illegal distribution involving 16 Seollal holiday items, including apples, pears, beef, and pork, were detected from 2021 through last year.
Pork accounted for the largest number of detected cases, with 3,700. It was followed by beef (1,723 cases), chicken (1,191 cases), squid (479 cases), and pollock (285 cases).
In one detected case, 154 kilograms of Canadian pork belly was sold with the country of origin falsely labeled as "domestic fresh pork belly." In another, beef rib soup cooked with U.S. beef was sold while its origin was labeled as domestic Korean beef, and processed chestnuts from China were labeled as domestic.
Representative Jung said, "If imported products are passed off as domestic and distributed in the market, it could cause significant damage to domestic agricultural, livestock, and fishery products," and urged, "The authorities must make every effort in enforcement and oversight so that people can consume with confidence during the holiday season."
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