Seoul City Detects 3 Cases of Origin Labeling Violations for Japanese Red Sea Bream and Chinese Barley Gulbi

Inspection of 76 Distribution and Sales Locations Including Seafood Handling Restaurants, Franchise Marts, and Traditional Markets

Seoul City has identified a business that failed to indicate the origin on the packaging of 'Borigurbi' products, despite the requirement to display the origin on packaged seafood sold. (Photo by Seoul City)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit announced on the 2nd that it conducted a special inspection on the origin labeling of seafood at 76 distribution and sales establishments, including large restaurants handling seafood over 330㎡, franchise marts, and traditional markets, in cooperation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries last month, and caught three businesses violating the Act on the Labeling of Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products.

This inspection was carried out as part of continuous seafood safety management to alleviate citizens' concerns about imported seafood. Among the three businesses caught, two did not label the origin, and one displayed labeling that could cause confusion about the origin. The Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit plans to request administrative action from the relevant autonomous districts for the two businesses that failed to label the origin of red sea bream and barley dried yellow corvina, and the one business that was caught labeling Japanese red sea bream as both domestic and Japanese origin is under investigation for potentially confusing origin labeling.

The caught businesses operated without labeling the origin despite violating Article 5 of the Origin Labeling Act. The company operating in the seafood sales section of a large mart was selling Chinese barley dried yellow corvina without origin labeling, and a large Japanese cuisine restaurant was found to be operating without labeling the origin of Japanese red sea bream displayed in the aquarium.

The large restaurant that confused the origin labeling of Japanese seafood as domestic and Japanese claimed that the origin varied depending on supply conditions, but after checking transaction statements, it was confirmed that they had been handling Japanese red sea bream for eight months. Confusing origin labeling is subject to criminal punishment under Article 14 of the Origin Labeling Act, which can result in imprisonment of up to seven years or a fine of up to 100 million won.

Park Byung-hyun, head of the Safety Investigation Team of the Seoul Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, said, “The seafood origin labeling system must be strictly observed to guarantee consumers' right to know and their right to choose,” adding, “We will continue to do our best in seafood safety management so that citizens can purchase seafood with confidence through continuous monitoring and close cooperation with related organizations, and we ask for citizens' interest and active reporting.”

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