4,375 violations recorded over 5 years — napa cabbage kimchi and pork account for 43%

Over 70% of cases involve outright false labeling

Lawmaker Lee Yang-su calls for targeted crackdown on repeat-offender products

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Violations of country-of-origin labeling rules have continued to recur ahead of major holidays such as Chuseok, with kimchi and pork topping the list of offending products.

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Yang-su of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee received data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs showing that more than 3,700 businesses were caught in nine rounds of special holiday origin-labeling inspections — five during Lunar New Year and four during Chuseok — conducted from 2022 through this year.

By violation type, 2,049 cases involved false labeling, while 1,663 involved no labeling at all.

Over the past five years, total violations by product reached 4,375. Napa cabbage kimchi led with 951 cases, followed by pork at 922. Combined, the two products accounted for 1,873 violations, or 42.8 percent of the total.

Of the 951 kimchi violations, 753 were classified as false labeling; of the 922 pork violations, 582 fell into the same category.

Taken together, 1,335 of the 1,873 violations involving the two products — 71.3 percent — were outright false labeling.

This year alone, 241 origin-labeling violations were recorded across the two products — 150 for napa cabbage kimchi and 91 for pork — with 170 cases, or 70.5 percent, involving false labeling.

"False origin labeling that exploits the holiday shopping rush distorts consumer choice and harms farmers and merchants who produce and sell their goods honestly," Lee said. "This Chuseok's special inspection must focus closely on key products with repeated violations, particularly napa cabbage kimchi and pork."


yuni@heraldcorp.com