Ministry Expands Support for International Certifications for Seafood Export Companies

Number of certifications increased to 50 and supported companies to 225
Up to 100 million won in support

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 4th that from the 5th until March 6 it will be recruiting seafood export companies to participate in the "2026 Export Certification Acquisition Support Program."

The Export Certification Acquisition Support Program is a system designed to strengthen Korean seafood companies' ability to cope with non-tariff barriers by supporting the acquisition of international certifications that function as export requirements in line with foreign consumers, buyers, and regulatory demands in each country. The government will subsidize various certification costs required by different countries and distribution channels, including vegan, halal, and ethical management certifications.

This year, the ministry has expanded the number of eligible international certifications from 48 to 50 and increased the number of supported companies from 157 to 225. Depending on the type of certification, each company can receive up to 100 million won in support.

The supported certifications are divided into "overseas food standard certifications," which respond to country-specific export requirements, and "export strategy certifications," which are aimed at entering global retailers. Overseas food standard certifications include halal, kosher, eco-friendly, vegan, Non-GMO (non-genetically modified foods), gluten-free, certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, certification by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, and certification by the European Food Safety Authority. Export strategy certifications include sustainable seafood certifications, traceability certifications, ethical management certifications, and overseas food safety program certifications.

Any company that is exporting seafood products or preparing to export them is eligible to apply, and interested companies can submit applications through the seafood export support platform by March 6.

Yang Youngjin, Director General for Fisheries Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Differences in consumer preferences by country and the demands of major buyers are acting as non-tariff barriers in the seafood export process," adding, "We will continue to expand support for Korean seafood companies' efforts to develop overseas markets, including assistance for acquiring international certifications."

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