Mandarin Oranges Forcedly Colored Targeting Chuseok Peak Season... 12,000 Tons Seized in Jeju

Forced Ripening of Early-Maturing Mandarins Ahead of Holiday Peak
Penalties Including Fines and Complete Disposal for Violations

A packing manager in Jeju who attempted to distribute under-ripe tangerines ripened with gas ahead of the Chuseok holiday peak was caught by the autonomous police.

Section Chief Seon forcibly ripening under-ripe house tangerines.
[Photo by Jeju Autonomous Police Agency · Yonhap News]

On the 18th, the Jeju Autonomous Police Agency caught packing manager A in Seogwipo City for forcibly coloring under-ripe greenhouse tangerines with less than 50% coloration, violating the Jeju Tangerine Production and Distribution Ordinance.

Packing manager A was caught on the 17th by the autonomous police special inspection team while forcibly ripening 17,200 kg of immature greenhouse tangerines (about 860 tangerine containers) purchased from local tangerine farms by covering them with vinyl and injecting ethylene gas.

According to the ordinance, it is prohibited to ripen or forcibly color tangerines after harvest using chemicals such as acetylene gas, ethylene gas, carbide, or heat sources like hot air blowers or electricity. Violators are subject to fines of up to 10 million KRW.

The autonomous police handed over packing manager A’s violation to the Seogwipo City Tangerine Agriculture Department and requested administrative measures including imposing fines and disposal of all the produce.

Additionally, on the 15th, through city surveillance activities and public interest reports from citizens, a harvesting site of immature tangerines under 8 Brix totaling 12,000 tons was discovered, and a fine of 2.4 million KRW was imposed with plans to dispose of all the produce.

On the 9th, 6.6 tons of immature fruit being ripened at a packing house in Seohong-dong, Seogwipo City, Jeju, was seized and disposed of, and during inspections at the Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Seoul on the 10th and 11th, seven cases involving distribution of non-standard tangerines totaling 5,805 kg were found, including failure to conduct quality inspections.

It is explained that the distribution of non-standard tangerines continues unabated targeting the holiday peak season.

With the start of the 2023 tangerine distribution, Jeju City has urged that any discovery of under-ripe tangerine harvesting or ripening be reported immediately to the local town or city agriculture department.

Investigation Director Park Sang-hyun stated, "To prevent many honest farms from suffering due to some farms and merchants disrupting the tangerine distribution order for personal gain, we will strengthen guidance and crackdowns in cooperation with related administrative departments."

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