The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civilian Law Enforcement Agency (Civilian Agency) said on the 20th that it identified 12 establishments, including restaurants, that falsely labeled the origin of their products during a special crackdown on March 3 around the spring flower festival venues in downtown Seoul.
The Civilian Agency selected 35 suspect establishments after conducting a preliminary investigation into the proper origin labeling of famous restaurants in preparation for the major spring flower festival schedule in Seoul. On March 3, it launched an on-site crackdown in conjunction with the Seoul Office of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service.
As a result of the crackdown, the Civilian Agency reported that it identified six cases of false origin labeling, one case of confusing origin labeling, and five cases of unmarked origins. The six cases of false origin labeling and one case of confusing labeling were referred to criminal prosecution by the Civilian Agency. The five cases of unmarked origins will face fines imposed by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service.
In major cases, establishment A falsely labeled the origin of Chinese cabbage kimchi served with sundae soup as 'domestic.' Establishment B was found to have used U.S. pork in kimchi stew while falsely indicating on the delivery application that 'only domestic fresh meat from NongHyup is used.' Establishment C reportedly used U.S. beef for steak but did not indicate the origin anywhere in the store, including on the menu.
Restaurants that falsely label the origin or make potentially confusing indications may face imprisonment of up to seven years or a fine of up to 100 million won. Additionally, those that fail to indicate the origin will face fines of up to 10 million won.
The Civilian Agency urged citizens who discover unlawful acts such as false origin labeling at restaurants or have been harmed to actively report through the Seoul Smart Discomfort Reporting app or the Seoul Response Office.