'Controversy Over Kimchi Production Using Discolored Baechu' Hanseong Food... "Factory Closure and Suspension of Operations"

Kim Soon-ja, CEO of Hanseong Foods, is demonstrating the secret technique of making kimchi.

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Hansung Food, a comprehensive food company, issued an official apology and halted operations at all manufacturing plants, including the closure of the factory involved, following controversy over its subsidiary producing kimchi with substandard ingredients.

Hansung Food, a kimchi manufacturer, stated in an apology issued on the 23rd under CEO Kim Soon-ja's name, "We sincerely apologize to our consumers for the concerns caused by the hygiene issues in the kimchi production of our subsidiary 'Hyowon,' reported on the 22nd." They added, "Regardless of legal actions, we have immediately closed the factory in question and begun investigating the cause," and "We have also temporarily suspended operations at our directly managed factories in Seosan, Busan, and Jeongseon."

They continued, "We will promptly conduct thorough internal inspections and precise evaluations by external experts to ensure there is no suspicion or shame," and explained, "We are determined to permanently close the factory if necessary and will reorganize the entire hygiene and quality control system." The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is reportedly conducting an on-site investigation of the factory.

In a report aired the previous day, MBC revealed footage showing workers at the kimchi factory operated by Hansung Food's subsidiary handling discolored napa cabbage and moldy radishes. Hansung Food explained, "All rotten or inedible parts were discarded during the ingredient preparation process and were not used in the finished kimchi products."

CEO Kim was designated as Traditional Master No. 29 and Kimchi Master No. 1 by the government in 2007. Since then, she has developed patented kimchi varieties such as mini roll bossam kimchi and seaweed kimchi, in addition to traditional Korean kimchi.

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