[2025 Audit] Illegal Wild Ginseng Sales on the Rise...1,919 Cases Detected in the Past 5 Years

The illegal sale of wild ginseng that has not been certified for quality is on the rise every year. Over the past five years, there have been a total of 1,919 cases of illegal wild ginseng sales detected.

Wild ginseng is being cultivated in the production area. Photo by Asia Economy DB

According to data submitted by Assemblyman Kim Seonkyo, a member of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee (People Power Party, Yeoju-si and Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province), from the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute, the number of detected cases of illegal wild ginseng sales has steadily increased each year: 268 cases in 2020, 295 cases in 2021, 312 cases in 2022, 329 cases in 2023, 345 cases in 2024, and 370 cases as of September this year.

By region, Gyeongnam recorded the highest number of detected cases with 442 (23% of the total), followed by Gangwon with 420 cases (22%), Seoul with 315 cases (16%), Daegu with 187 cases (10%), Gyeonggi with 130 cases (7%), and Chungnam with 72 cases (4%).

In contrast to the increasing number of illegal wild ginseng sales, there are criticisms that penalties remain lenient. In fact, of the total 1,919 detected cases, 1,813 cases (95%) were concluded with only a warning, while only 47 cases (2%) were referred for investigation, and 41 cases (2%) involved cooperation with investigations.

Assemblyman Kim stated, "As the number of consumers seeking wild ginseng increases, cases of illegal wild ginseng sales also seem to be rising," and emphasized, "Active measures are needed to protect public health from wild ginseng that has not been certified for quality."

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