Agriculture ministry pursues legal action over fake news on Brazilian egg imports, farmland probe

The government is moving toward legal action after misinformation about Brazilian egg imports and a farmland survey spread across social media platforms including YouTube and Instagram. Authorities are reviewing legal proceedings against three posts deemed particularly malicious in connection with the egg imports.

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Monday it would strengthen monitoring of online posts related to major policy issues and pursue deletion requests and legal action against malicious content.

The most prominent example the ministry cited involves allegations surrounding the Brazilian egg imports. Some YouTube channels and social media accounts have claimed the government imported eggs to benefit the Brazilian government, and that an 80 billion won ($59.6 million) gap between the import price and the domestic supply price was covered by taxpayer money. The ministry said posts alleging that rebates changed hands during the import process — and others linking poultry farm fires to the egg imports — have also been circulating.

The ministry rebuffed these claims, saying they distorted the facts or raised allegations without basis.

According to the government, the Brazilian egg imports are a pilot project aimed at securing a stable overseas supply source in preparation for the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The goal is to establish an import channel from a Southern Hemisphere country whose seasons are opposite to Korea's, and Brazilian eggs account for just 0.8 percent of total egg imports.

The ministry disclosed that the purchase price for Brazilian eggs was 178 won per egg, and separately explained the freight costs paid to domestic airlines and the tariffs paid by importers that were returned to the national treasury. It said price subsidies to supply imported eggs cheaply on the domestic market are a standard measure to stabilize the supply and demand of key food items.

The government has been issuing clarifications since Oct. 6 through explanatory and rebuttal materials, ministerial interviews and social media posts. After the same allegations continued to resurface in some online posts, however, it began reviewing legal options.

Misinformation about the farmland survey is also being addressed. The ministry said some posts have spread claims that the government is conducting the survey in order to forcibly purchase and nationalize farmland.

The ministry said the purpose of the farmland survey has been misrepresented. It said it has distributed 20 explanatory documents, 11 press releases and one press reference document, and has explained the survey's objectives and follow-up measures through ministerial interviews, YouTube videos and card-format news content.

The ministry noted that while official channels exist to address misinformation in media reports — such as requesting corrections or filing complaints with the Korea Press Arbitration Commission — false information spreading through personal social media accounts is far harder to correct quickly or contain. It added that even when platforms are asked to remove posts, actual removal rarely follows.

In response, dedicated staff will monitor the creation and spread of online posts related to major policy issues, and the ministry plans to operate a fake-news tip center. Posts deemed highly malicious or serious will be subject to deletion requests, and the ministry will review relevant laws to pursue legal action against those responsible.

Byeon Sang-mun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said misinformation distorting the facts without basis continues to spread, seriously undermining public trust in policy and causing confusion. "We will do our utmost to communicate transparently so that accurate information reaches everyone," he said.