Deceptive "Refer to Detailed Description" Country-of-Origin Labels to Be Addressed... Ministry of Industry Launches Task Force to Improve Abnormal Practices

First Meeting of the "Normalization TF for Industry, Trade, and Resources" Held
Key Public Concerns Discussed, Including Blocking Distribution of Illegal and Substandard Products and Improving Quantitatively Labeled Products

Yonhap News Agency

The government has launched an initiative to address abnormal practices in industries closely related to people's daily lives, such as missing country-of-origin labels on online shopping malls, the distribution of illegal or substandard products, and controversies over deceptive packaging. Through a dedicated task force (TF), the government plans to actively identify issues that the public can relate to, and to develop measures to improve systems and strengthen oversight and supervision.

On May 8, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the first meeting of the "Normalization TF for Industry, Trade, and Resources" under the chairmanship of Vice Minister Moon Shinhak, discussing tasks to improve unreasonable systems and practices affecting daily life and business environments.

This task force will focus on four key areas: industry, resource security, trade, and standards. From the government, Vice Minister Moon, the policy coordination office chief, and the minister's policy advisor participated, while six experts from the private sector with expertise in industry, resource security, trade, and standards joined as committee members.

Until now, the Ministry has identified normalization tasks through small-group brainstorming sessions led by working-level staff and through a public suggestion channel. At the meeting, external experts and association representatives participated to discuss opinions on candidate tasks.

In particular, the main agenda items included blocking the distribution of illegal or substandard products, improving the management of quantitatively labeled products, and revising country-of-origin labeling on online shopping malls—especially in areas closely related to everyday life.

Given growing concerns about the inflow of illegal and substandard products due to the increase in direct overseas purchases, the Ministry considered measures to strengthen monitoring and management across distribution channels, including market product inspections and checks at import customs clearance.

With regard to quantitatively labeled products such as beverages and snacks, the TF also discussed improvement measures to prevent some businesses from exploiting permissible error systems to package less than the stated quantity.

Improving the country-of-origin labeling system for online shopping malls was also discussed. As some sellers have replaced the country-of-origin label with "refer to detailed description" and then omitted the relevant information in the detailed section, the need to establish updated labeling standards suited to the non-face-to-face transaction environment was highlighted.

Additionally, proposals submitted through the public suggestion channel were discussed, including expanding the joint use of research equipment built with government funds and enhancing the openness of their operation.

The Ministry plans to refine the tasks discussed at the meeting and, after consultations with related ministries such as the Office for Government Policy Coordination, finalize the first set of normalization tasks. Additional issues will be continuously identified, and follow-up solutions will also be pursued.

Vice Minister Moon stated, "To identify abnormal and unreasonable practices that have become habitual, it is necessary to take a close and fresh look at even familiar issues," adding, "We will fully reflect the opinions of the public and those in the field to produce tangible and relatable outcomes."

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