Korea Forestry Promotion Institute Implements Continuous Monitoring of Illegal Wild Ginseng Online Distribution

A continuous monitoring system will be implemented to eradicate the online distribution of illegal wild ginseng.

The Korea Forestry Promotion Institute announced on November 19 that it will operate a continuous monitoring system to filter out illegal wild ginseng that is indiscriminately distributed online without undergoing quality inspection in accordance with the "Act on the Promotion of Forestry and Mountain Villages."

A panoramic view of a field of wild ginseng cultivated in a forest. Photo by The Asia Business Daily DB

Illegal wild ginseng refers to wild ginseng that has not received a quality inspection certificate (or does not display one) or is distributed with falsified origin information. The indiscriminate distribution of illegal wild ginseng undermines consumer trust, leads to a decline in the price of genuine products, and causes economic harm to diligent cultivators.

In response, the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute will standardize violation types, such as using someone else's certificate, failing to display a certificate, or disguising low-priced imported wild ginseng as domestic.

Additionally, the institute plans to operate the continuous monitoring system by combining automated product information collection based on key terms with meticulous manual inspections by dedicated personnel.

If illegal wild ginseng distribution is detected during monitoring activities, the institute will request e-commerce operators to suspend sales and correct product information. At the same time, it will conduct residual pesticide tests by collecting products and take administrative and legal actions against the sellers.

Previously, during the recent Chuseok holiday period, the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute collaborated with Naver to pilot the continuous monitoring system, detecting a total of 416 attempts to sell illegal wild ginseng and taking actions such as suspending sales and correcting information.

For products found to contain residual pesticides, the institute is also proceeding with requests for investigation by relevant authorities.

Going forward, the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute plans to further advance its monitoring technology and expand cooperation with e-commerce operators to eradicate the online distribution of illegal wild ginseng.

Choi Muyeol, President of the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute, stated, "Illegal wild ginseng is a serious issue that undermines the trust between consumers and cultivators. We will do our utmost to establish a sound online distribution order for wild ginseng and protect the interests of both consumers and honest producers."

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