This article was displayed on the ChosunBiz RM Report website at 8:05 a.m. on Apr. 2, 2026.
In the second half of this year, management of country-of-origin information for foods and agricultural and fishery products sold across online platforms, including delivery apps, will be strengthened. Previously, responsibility was focused on sellers such as restaurants, but now platform operators that broker the transaction will also be required to manage it.
According to related industries on the 2nd, the National Assembly held a plenary session on the 31st and passed a bill to amend the Act on Labeling of Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products with this content as the main point. The bill was prepared as an alternative by the Agriculture. Food. Rural Affairs. Oceans. and Fisheries Committee by integrating bills separately proposed by Yun Jun-byung of the Democratic Party of Korea and Lee Yang-soo and Kang Myung-gu of the People Power Party.
Under the amendment, delivery apps such as Baemin, Coupang Eats, and Yogiyo, as well as online shopping platforms such as Naver and Gmarket, will bear a duty to notify about the origin labeling system as "telemarketing brokers." Platform operators must inform merchants in advance of origin labeling standards, and if they fail to do so, fines of up to 10 million won will be imposed.
The origin labeling system for agricultural and fishery products is designed to guarantee consumers' right to know and encourage fair transactions to protect producers and consumers. It currently covers 985 items of agricultural and fishery products and processed goods, and 29 restaurant items.
For agricultural products, the origin must be indicated on packaging or display boards; domestically produced items are labeled "domestic" or with a region name, and imported items are labeled with the country of origin at the time of customs clearance. For processed goods, up to the top three origins must be indicated according to the proportion of ingredients, and restaurants must provide this information on menus or bulletin boards.
The amendment stems from concerns that as transactions via delivery apps and online shopping surge, cases of false or missing origin labeling have steadily increased. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of violations detected in the course of telemarketing rose about threefold, from 278 in 2019 to 863 in 2023.
Platform operators have carried out guidance and management activities for merchants through the "Telemarketing Origin Labeling Voluntary Management Council" since 2022. For example, some delivery apps have implemented voluntary improvement measures since 2023, such as designating origin information as a required entry, restricting onboarding if it is not entered, or introducing functions to confirm origin labeling when menus are modified.
However, the council had the limitation of remaining a voluntary operation. A feature of this amendment is that it turns this voluntary management framework into a legal obligation. Platforms must notify about the origin labeling system in advance, and fines of up to 10 million won will be imposed for violations. It also allows the disclosure of the name of the platform on which a violating merchant is listed, creating a structure that imposes indirect responsibility on the platform.
The industry, however, has raised concerns about expanding regulations. The Korea Online Shopping Association said, "The direct stakeholders of the origin labeling system are sellers and the government," and added, "Since telemarketing brokers play a supplementary role, it is excessive to mandate the duty to notify by hard rule and impose fines."
On the other hand, there are also calls for fairness because program providers with similar distribution structures are already subject to related regulations. Under current law, if a business that brokers sales through a broadcast channel allows acts such as false origin labeling, fines of up to 10 million won are imposed.
The amendment will take effect six months after promulgation following delivery to the government. It is expected to take effect in the second half of this year. An industry official said, "This amendment reflects a social demand that platforms, beyond being simple conduits, should fulfill at least minimal duties as market managers," and added, "After the law takes effect, continuous monitoring is needed to see whether platforms merely 'notify' or whether actual violations decrease."