Oh Yu-kyung, commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, speaks at a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae-myung at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
Oh Yu-kyung, commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, speaks at a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae-myung at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will expand mandatory GMO labeling to cover products that retain no detectable genetically modified ingredients after processing, and will for the first time publicly disclose harmful-substance analyses of tobacco products — moves the agency says will strengthen the public's right to know.

The ministry also plans to complete an AI-powered smart surveillance system for food safety and introduce punitive fines to stamp out the illegal distribution of medical narcotics, tightening both regulation and oversight. The ministry unveiled its second-half work plan for 2026 at a ministerial briefing held Thursday at Cheong Wa Dae's banquet hall.

Consumer right to know comes first: GMO labeling expanded, tobacco ingredients disclosed

Based on social consensus, the ministry will extend GMO labeling requirements to soy sauce, sugars and edible oils and fats — product categories in which no GMO material remains after manufacturing and processing. The rule takes effect for soy sauce on Dec. 31, while sugars and edible oils and fats will follow after a one-year grace period to allow industry preparation, coming into force at the end of next year.

The harmful ingredients in tobacco, which directly affect public health, will also be brought to light. The ministry has been conducting hazardous-substance testing on 465 products from 20 companies through designated tobacco testing institutions since February, and plans to release the findings to the public for the first time in October.

K-food, beauty and biotech push into global markets with regulatory diplomacy on all fronts

The ministry will also step up regulatory support to help domestic companies expand globally. In the second half of this year, it will seek recognition of the Korea Food Safety Management Certification Institute as an official halal certification body in three key Muslim-majority countries — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia — to support K-food's entry into Islamic markets.

To advance K-beauty's global reach, the ministry plans to establish the world's first Global Cosmetics Regulatory Authority Summit, or GCORAS, in September, with South Korea serving as chair and leading negotiations to remove non-tariff barriers worldwide. In the K-biotech sector, the ministry will waive the requirement to submit Phase 3 clinical trial data for follow-on biopharmaceuticals, accelerating the path to commercialization and strengthening support for domestic contract development and manufacturing organizations.

AI to screen imports and catch deceptive ads as digital safety net gets an upgrade

Advanced IT technology will be fully integrated into food and drug safety management in the second half of the year. The ministry will develop an AI import food inspection solution that automatically reviews labeling on imported food products by November, and will also develop an AI foreign-object detector — capable of identifying abscesses and broken needles in meat — by year-end for distribution to industry.

To crack down on consumer deception, the ministry's rapid-response task force against food fraud, launched in March, will lead enforcement against misleading advertisements that use AI-generated fake expert images, while a round-the-clock AI surveillance system called AI Cops will be completed. Starting in December, the use of names resembling those of pharmaceutical drugs on food products will be banned outright, and related enforcement decrees will be revised to require tablet- and capsule-form food products to carry a mandatory label stating they are not pharmaceuticals or health functional foods.

Punitive fines for narcotic misuse; all-out effort to achieve zero food poisoning cases

Measures to prevent the illegal distribution and misuse of medical narcotics will be strengthened with greater legal force. The ministry will begin revising relevant laws to allow punitive fines — a strong economic sanction — on top of existing business-suspension penalties when licensed narcotic handlers use or distribute controlled substances for unauthorized purposes.

In addition, the ministry will build an integrated narcotic misuse surveillance system called K-NASS by December, using AI-based big data analysis to identify suspected misuse cases within three days — down from the current three weeks. Propofol will be added to the list of substances subject to drug-use history checks in August, and hospitals will be required to verify patients' drug use records through the drug utilization review system starting in December.

The ministry also plans to deploy five rapid food-poisoning inspection vehicles and conduct intensive hygiene management during the World Heritage Committee session in Busan in July, aiming for zero food-poisoning incidents. Focused inspections will target high-consumption summer foods and food service facilities.

"The second half of 2026 will be a turning point of innovation — one in which the public's right to know will be dramatically expanded and AI and digital technology will be integrated into food and drug safety management," ministry Commissioner Oh Yu-kyung said. "We will do everything in our power to lead global regulatory harmonization and help K-brands reach markets around the world."


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