"I Had No Choice But to Keep the Business"...Distillery Head Caught Making 800 Million Won From Fake 'Jeju Specialty Liquor'

Used American Lemons and Oranges Instead of Jeju Produce
Alcohol Also Made with Tap Water Instead of Purified Water

The head of a distillery has been referred to the prosecution after producing alcohol using imported fruit and falsely selling it as a "Jeju specialty liquor."

According to Yonhap News on May 12, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Police Corps sent the distillery's representative, a man in his 50s identified as A, to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Food Labeling and Advertising Act. The company itself has also been referred under the joint penalty provision.

Imported pineapples and oranges used in alcohol production. Jeju Autonomous Police Corps

When A began operating the distillery in 2022, he reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety that the ingredients for the alcohol would be Jeju-grown camellia flowers, canola flowers, barley, and purified water. However, it was discovered that he actually used American lemons and oranges, as well as Philippine pineapples, and manufactured the alcohol using tap water instead of purified water.

The finished alcohol was sold under names such as "Camellia Flower Liquor" and "Canola Flower Liquor," depending on the color, while product labels falsely claimed that Jeju-grown flowers and purified water had been used. It has been confirmed that through these methods, A sold approximately 260,000 bottles (375ml each) over about four years, generating sales of around 800 million won.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Police Corps stated that they began investigating the case in February after receiving related intelligence, and confirmed the crime by thoroughly analyzing ingredient purchases, electronic tax invoices, and distillery inventory records. During the investigation, A admitted to all charges, stating, "I knew it was illegal, but I had no other choice in order to keep the business running."

Hyeong Cheongdo, chief of investigations at the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Police Corps, remarked, "This case involved exploiting consumer trust for unfair profit by using the name 'Jeju-made,'" and added, "As the brand value of regional specialty liquors has been damaged, we will conduct a thorough investigation into any related violations."

This is not the first controversy over false origin labeling in the Jeju region. In February, 15 businesses were caught for falsely labeling the origin of products, including selling okdueo as the more expensive okdom fish.

At that time, violations included 10 cases of origin labeling breaches (six cases of false labeling and four of no labeling), one case of food labeling and advertising violations, and four cases of violating business operator compliance requirements. Two restaurants in the province were found to have sold okdueo, which resembles okdom, as the high-priced okdom fish, while two other restaurants were caught storing expired ingredients for cooking purposes.

Meanwhile, the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, etc. stipulates that falsely labeling ingredients or other information can result in up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.

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