'Hidden Dangers in Imported Plants': Over 27,000 Cases Detected in 5 Years... 86% Are Pests

Detection Rate Up by 0.1 Percentage Points Over Previous Five Years

Quarantine Agency Implements "Tailored Quarantine Reinforcement Measures"

In the past five years, more than 27,000 cases of regulated pests and diseases have been detected during the quarantine process for imported plants. As the risk of introducing foreign pests and diseases increases, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has decided to implement tailored measures to strengthen quarantine controls.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced on April 20 that it detected 27,093 cases of regulated pests and diseases through 8,117,455 inspections of imported plants from 2021 to 2025. Regulated pests and diseases refer to those pests and pathogens that are considered highly harmful to plants if not subjected to measures such as disinfection or disposal. These are largely categorized into prohibited pests and controlled pests.

A official from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency is conducting genetic analysis experiments for pathogen diagnosis. Photo by Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency

The detection rate of regulated pests and diseases relative to the number of inspections averaged 0.3% over the past five years. This is a 0.1 percentage point increase compared to the 0.2% detection rate from 2016 to 2020. An official from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency explained, "The increase in detection rate can be attributed to strengthened quarantine measures and improved detection capabilities," adding, "Despite changes in the quarantine environment both domestically and internationally—such as expanded global trade and climate change—quarantine and pest management for imported plants have remained stable."

Among the detected regulated pests and diseases, there were 23,356 cases of pests, 3,598 cases of pathogens (such as viruses and bacteria), and 139 cases of weeds. Pests accounted for the largest proportion, making up 86% of all detections. In particular, there were 183 cases across six types of prohibited pests and diseases, including 102 cases of banana root rot nematode and 72 cases of potato spindle tuber viroid. Items found to contain prohibited pests and diseases were either destroyed or returned, and emergency import restrictions were imposed to prevent their entry into the country.

By country, the largest numbers of regulated pests and diseases were detected in imports from China, the Netherlands, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam, in that order. Notably, pests were frequently found in Chinese cut chrysanthemums, Dutch cut flowers, Thai durians, U.S. distillers' grains, and Vietnamese wood pellets.

The types of pests and diseases detected also varied by quarantine site. At the Incheon Airport Regional Headquarters, most detections were in cut flowers and seeds; at the Central Regional Headquarters (including Incheon Port), detections were mainly in fresh vegetables and seedlings; and at the Yeongnam Regional Headquarters (including Busan Port), detections were common in fresh fruit and vegetables.

Based on the results of this analysis, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency will implement three tailored measures to strengthen quarantine and eliminate blind spots. First, for countries where pests and diseases are frequently detected, the agency will notify the relevant authorities in those countries to encourage improvements in hygiene before export, and consider emergency import restrictions if necessary.

Additionally, the agency will train specialized experts to bolster laboratory quarantine capabilities according to the types of pests and diseases frequently detected at each quarantine site. The Incheon Airport and Yeongnam Regional Headquarters will focus on micro-pests such as aphids and scale insects, the Central Regional Headquarters will focus on nematodes such as root-knot and root-rot nematodes, and the Honam Regional Headquarters will focus on pathogens such as fungi.

Furthermore, to thoroughly block the introduction of plant bacterial diseases and other pests, the agency is actively conducting research and development of new testing methods utilizing advanced genetic analysis technologies, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Choi Jeong-rok, head of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, stated, "The risk of foreign pests and diseases entering the country continues to increase due to expanded global trade and climate change," adding, "We will do our utmost to protect our agriculture and ecosystem through a data-driven, scientific, and tailored quarantine system."

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