Jeonnam Province Intensifies Crackdown on Origin Labeling Violations During Kimjang Season

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[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 16th that it will intensively crack down on violations of origin labeling to ensure food safety targeting companies that manufacture and sell domestically produced kimchi until the end of the year.

The items in high demand during the kimchi-making season, such as napa cabbage, red pepper powder, salted seafood, and solar salt, are the targets.

The province formed an enforcement team from the Civil Affairs Judicial Police Team to focus on identifying cases where foreign products are disguised and sold as domestic products or where the origin is falsely labeled as a famous domestic region among domestic products. Companies caught will be referred to the prosecution.

In addition, companies that falsely label the origin will face up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won, and companies that fail to label the origin will be fined up to 10 million won.

The Civil Affairs Judicial Police Team conducts continuous inspections in areas closely related to residents' safety, such as food hygiene, public hygiene, and origin labeling, and detects about 40 cases of illegal businesses such as unreported operations every year.

Residents must also check the origin when purchasing food. If there is no origin label or if false labeling is suspected, it can be reported through the Jeonnam Province website or the National Sinmungo (People's Petition).

Shim Woojeong, Director of the Safety Policy Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “Correct origin labeling is a promise between sellers and consumers,” and added, “We will continuously manage origin labeling through special judicial police to prevent residents from suffering damages due to some unscrupulous companies.”

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