The Korea Customs Service will carry out a three-week crackdown on violations of country-of-origin labeling for imported kimchi during the kimjang season.
The Korea Customs Service said on the 6th that the intensive crackdown will run from the 13th of this month through Dec. 5.
With imports of kimchi continuing to rise recently and cabbage imports also increasing significantly from last year, the crackdown was planned amid growing chances that low-priced imported kimchi could be passed off as domestic.
The main targets are exporters, importers, and wholesale and retail businesses handling kimchi and other goods. The focus will be on: ▲ disguising low-priced, low-quality imported kimchi and other products as domestic to sell or export at high prices ▲ failing to label the country of origin or falsely labeling it after simple manufacturing, processing, partitioning, or repackaging in Korea.
The Korea Customs Service will conduct on-site inspections at 31 customs offices nationwide after selecting companies with a high likelihood of violating origin labeling by linking and analyzing their import-export records and domestic transaction data. If violations are detected, it plans to strictly punish offenders under relevant laws, including imposing fines and a penalty surcharge and referring cases for criminal investigation.
Lee Myeong-gu, commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, said, "We will do our best in enforcing country-of-origin labeling to prevent relabeled imported foods that could threaten public health and safety from circulating in the market, and to ensure there is no damage to the reputation of 'K-food' in the global market."