Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 'Illegal Activities' Targeting 90 Companies in the Province Ahead of Kimchi-Making Season

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is launching a focused crackdown on kimchi-making ingredients and sales businesses ahead of the kimchi-making season.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 13th that from the 18th to the 29th of this month, they will conduct an intensive investigation into illegal activities targeting 90 companies in the province that manufacture or sell kimchi-making ingredients such as red pepper powder, kimchi seasoning, and salted seafood, as well as kimchi itself.

The main investigation points include ▲using expired raw materials or storing them without "for disposal" labels ▲selling or manufacturing/processing/using food products that violate standards and specifications ▲failure to conduct groundwater (drinking water) quality tests and finished product self-quality inspections ▲mislabeling the origin of foreign red pepper powder and kimchi as domestic products.

Using expired raw materials or storing them without "for disposal" labels is punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

Additionally, violating food handling standards and specifications such as preservation criteria or improper raw material mixing ratios can result in up to 5 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 50 million KRW, and falsely labeling low-cost foreign red pepper powder and kimchi as domestic products can lead to up to 7 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 100 million KRW.

Yoon Tae-wan, head of the Special Judicial Police of the province, emphasized, "This investigation was planned to ensure the safety of residents' food ahead of the kimchi-making season," adding, "We will conduct focused investigations on foods heavily consumed during the kimchi-making season and strongly punish illegal activities that may threaten residents' health according to relevant laws."

The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police also accept reports of illegal activities through their website and the Gyeonggi Province call center (031-120).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.