"Chinese Red Pepper Powder and Cabbage Falsely Labeled as Domestic: 142 Businesses Caught for Origin Label Violations"

101 Businesses Criminally Charged for False Labeling
41 Businesses Fined 20.65 Million Won for Omission

A restaurant was caught and criminally charged for falsely labeling the origin of Chinese cabbage kimchi as domestic while actually serving kimchi made from Chinese cabbage as a side dish. There was also a restaurant that labeled kimchi made from Gangwon Province cabbage as originating from Haenam County.

The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced on December 11 that it had conducted a comprehensive inspection of origin labeling for 40 days, from October 27 to December 5, focusing on napa cabbage kimchi and kimchi seasoning products, which see increased distribution during the kimchi-making season. As a result, 142 businesses (146 cases) were found in violation.

Employees of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service are conducting a comprehensive inspection of origin labeling. Photo by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service

During this inspection period, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service deployed special judicial police officers and honorary inspectors to focus on napa cabbage kimchi and salted cabbage manufacturers and sellers, distributors, wholesalers, online retailers, and general restaurants-covering a total of 47,831 establishments nationwide. The inspection specifically targeted practices such as selling imported products disguised as domestic, or falsely marketing them as specialty products from famous domestic regions. Before the crackdown, the agency checked the supply and price trends of kimchi vegetables and pre-monitored information from the imported agricultural product distribution history management system, prioritizing inspections of businesses suspected of violations.

As a result of the inspection, a restaurant in Jeju was found to have provided Chinese cabbage kimchi as a side dish while falsely labeling the cabbage origin as domestic. The amount involved reached 23,700 kilograms. In addition, an agricultural corporation in Haenam County purchased cabbage from Gangwon Province and sold it as salted cabbage, falsely labeling the origin as Haenam County. A processing company in Anseong was also caught selling Chinese red pepper powder while falsely labeling the origin as domestic.

Among the types of businesses found in violation, general restaurants accounted for the largest number with 108 cases, followed by manufacturers (8), snack bars (5), and group meal service providers (4). In terms of items, napa cabbage kimchi was the most common with 119 cases, followed by red pepper powder (5 cases), garlic (2 cases), and other seasonings.

Of the businesses caught, 101 were criminally charged for false labeling, while 41 businesses caught for failing to indicate the origin were fined a total of 20.65 million won.

Kim Sangkyung, head of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, stated, "We will continue to strengthen inspections and public awareness of the origin of agricultural products so that consumers can purchase Korean agricultural foods with confidence."

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