Korea Customs Service to Crack Down on Origin Labeling of Ancestral Rite Items Before Lunar New Year Holiday

From the 22nd of this month to the 8th of next month, joint crackdown by related agencies on origin labeling violations targeting imported ritual items and more

On the 22nd, the Korea Customs Service announced that from the 22nd of this month to the 8th of next month, it will conduct joint crackdowns with related agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on violations of origin labeling for imported ritual items and gifts.

The crackdown is being implemented as part of the "Seol Livelihood Stabilization Measures" announced at the Emergency Economic Ministers' Meeting and Price-Related Ministers' Meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy on the 16th.

The Korea Customs Service plans to conduct on-site inspections targeting wholesale and retail businesses such as department stores, large supermarkets, and traditional markets, judging that agricultural and marine products imported for ritual and gift purposes before the Seol holiday may be disguised as domestic products during distribution.

In particular, the Korea Customs Service expects the crackdown to be extensive, conducted jointly by nationwide customs offices under the Korea Customs Service, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and local governments across the country, regardless of region or type of goods.

Ban Jae-hyun, head of the Fair Trade Review Team at the Korea Customs Service, said, "False origin labeling is a clear criminal act that causes direct harm not only to the final consumers but also to domestic producers such as farmers and fishermen, as well as manufacturing companies. The Korea Customs Service will make every effort to ensure food safety by eradicating violations of origin labeling through crackdowns."

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