Ulsan City Catches 74 Cases of Raw Fish Restaurant Origin Labeling Violations Over 2 Months

Special Inspection of 359 Japanese Imported Sashimi Restaurants

2 Cases of False Labeling, 13 Cases of Non-Labeling, 59 On-Site Corrections

Seventy-four cases of violations related to the origin labeling of imported seafood were detected in Ulsan over a two-month period.

Ulsan City announced that it conducted a full-scale investigation on the origin labeling of imported seafood at businesses handling imported seafood, including those from Japan, from May 1 to June 30.

This special inspection was carried out to alleviate citizens' concerns about seafood safety following the announcement of the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan and to ensure safe food consumption.

A joint inspection team consisting of 19 officials in five groups from Ulsan City, district and county offices, and the Ulsan Coast Guard conducted a full investigation targeting 359 retail businesses (such as sashimi restaurants and eateries) that recently imported seafood from Japan.

The main items inspected were scallops, red sea bream, sea squirts, and other seafood with high consumption, with a focus on checking the presence of origin labeling.

The inspection results revealed a total of 74 violations: 2 cases of falsely labeling Japanese red sea bream as domestic, 8 cases of failing to label imported seafood including Japanese products, 5 cases of failing to label domestic products, and 59 cases of minor labeling method violations and on-site guidance.

For the two cases of false labeling, the business owners were booked and referred to prosecution, facing imprisonment of up to seven years or fines up to 100 million KRW, while the 13 cases of missing labels were fined between 50,000 KRW and 10 million KRW.

An official from Ulsan City stated, “We plan to continuously conduct origin labeling inspections on Japanese imported seafood and strengthen the management of origin labeling for imported seafood. Through special inspections, we will thoroughly manage the origin of items that citizens are concerned about and create a seafood consumption environment that consumers can trust.”

Ulsan City Hall exterior view. (Photo by Ulsan City Hall)

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