President's Year-End Gift, but It's Imported Agricultural Products...

Controversy Over Gifts to On-Site Workers Including 100% Imported Nuts
Ministry of the Interior and Safety Explains "Comprehensive Review of Origin Verification to Follow"

Controversial imported agricultural product nut gift set. Photo by Yoon Joon-byung, Member of the National Assembly, Facebook capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Controversy arose over the inclusion of foreign agricultural products among the year-end gifts delivered in the name of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

On the 17th, Yoon Jun-byeong, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea (Jeonbuk Jeongeup·Gochang), posted on his Facebook, "Yesterday, I received a question from a local resident. 'I received a year-end gift from the President, but upon opening it, all the contents were imported products. Was this gift intentionally sent to upset farmers?' was the question."

Yoon also posted a photo of the gift the resident received. The gift in the photo was a set of six types of nuts: roasted peanuts and pumpkin seeds were 100% from China, while walnuts, almonds, prunes (dried plums), and pistachios were 100% from the United States. Regarding this, Yoon questioned, "Was there no domestic agricultural product suitable for a year-end gift befitting the dignity of the President?"

In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated on the 18th that comprehensive reviews, including origin verification, will be conducted when selecting items in the future. Since 1981, the Ministry has annually provided gifts in the name of the President to frontline workers such as coal miners, sanitation workers, and social welfare workers at year-end. This year, five types of gift sets, including nut sets, were prepared. These gift sets are being distributed to 89,301 people after demand surveys by local governments.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "Imported ingredients were included in the nut sets produced at production facilities for severely disabled persons to support job creation and vocational rehabilitation for the severely disabled," and added, "In the future, when selecting government year-end gift items, comprehensive reviews and considerations such as verifying manufacturers, sellers, and product origins will be ensured."

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