Ahead of Boknal on July 15, 10 businesses in Seoul were caught violating the Origin Labeling Act. With a "ban on dog meat consumption" set for next year and demand for goat rising, some sought to profit by disguising imported goats as domestically produced. Some did not label the origin at all. Most imported goats are from Australia and are said to be about 50% cheaper than domestic ones.
The Seoul Bureau of Civil Affairs Police conducted an intensive crackdown from June 15 to July 3 on 132 restaurants and meat retailers that sell restorative dishes such as goat and duck.
This crackdown focused on whether the origin of "imported goat" was properly labeled. With the full ban on the distribution and sale of foods cooked or processed using dog as an ingredient taking effect on Feb. 7 next year, demand and import volumes have recently surged. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), domestic goat meat consumption increased 97%, from 6,600 tons in 2021 to 13,000 tons in 2024. During the same period, imports were 8,143 tons, up 332% from 1,883 tons.
Most imported goats are from Australia. Since 2023, under the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Australian goat meat has entered duty-free. According to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, all goats imported into Korea last year were from Australia. Industry officials said domestic goat meat costs in the high-10,000 won range per kilogram and is 1.5 times more expensive than Australian products.
The crackdown found a total of 10 businesses that violated the Origin Labeling Act. Four misled consumers with confusing origin labels, one falsely labeled origin, and five did not label origin at all.
In the case of businesses with confusing origin labels, they posted signs such as "100% domestic black goat" and "all black goats are 100% domestic" at exterior entrances, while indicating inside that "Australian products are mixed." For unlabeled origin, they cooked and sold items like black goat soup or boiled slices without any origin labeling. There was also a case of disguising Chinese cabbage kimchi as domestic.
In particular, Seoul also conducted genetic testing of goat meat during this crackdown, considering cases where some owners might claim foreign products are domestic. The city cooperated at every stage, from information gathering to on-site inspections, with the Seoul office of the Gyeonggi branch of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, the specialized agency for origin labeling management, and conducted tests through the Institute of Health and Environment.
Of the five businesses that used confusing or false origin labels in this crackdown, cases will be investigated and then sent to prosecutors. The five that did not label origin will be subject to fines. Under the Origin Labeling Act, those who falsely or confusingly label origin may face up to seven years in prison or fines of up to 1 billion won. Failure to label origin carries an administrative fine of up to 10 million won.
Seoul asked citizens to actively report when they suspect the origin. Whistleblowers will receive a reward of up to 2 billion won.
Byeon Kyung-ok, head of the Seoul Bureau of Civil Affairs Police, said, "While most restaurants label origin correctly, illegal practices persist at some businesses, making citizens' careful checks important," and added, "We will track origin labeling violations to the end and do our best to create a healthy dining environment where citizens can feel safe."