Inspections run Tuesday through Nov. 27 at 8 traditional markets and 5 mid-to-large retailers, including Cheongnyangni Fish Market and street vendors; authorities will test suspicious samples and refer fraudulent labelers for prosecution
Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu will conduct an intensive inspection of country-of-origin labeling on kimchi ingredients from Tuesday through Nov. 27, the district office announced.
The campaign aims to prevent consumer harm and establish fair retail practices by cracking down on mislabeled or unlabeled agricultural and fishery products ahead of the peak kimchi-making season, when demand for such goods surges.
Inspectors will cover 13 outlets across the district — eight traditional markets and five mid-to-large retailers handling major kimchi ingredients. Cheongnyangni Fish Market and street vendors near Naeunebyeongwon Hospital, which are under intensive management, are also included.
Priority items include napa cabbage, pre-salted cabbage, red pepper powder, garlic, ginger and onions. Inspectors will also check samgyeopsal, salted shrimp and other fermented seafood, oysters, and sea salt used in kimchi and bossam preparations.
The inspections will proceed in two stages: honorary monitors for agricultural and fishery products will conduct an initial check, followed by a follow-up inspection by district health and sanitation officials.
Authorities will focus particularly on products sold without origin labels and on imported goods fraudulently passed off as domestic. They will also look for tampered or altered origin markings and any labeling that could confuse consumers about a product's origin.
Samples of suspicious items will be collected on the spot and sent to the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service laboratory for testing — at least 200 grams for general products and at least 1 kilogram for napa cabbage kimchi. Test results will be used as evidence in referring violators for prosecution.
Enforcement measures will also be tightened. Minor violations will be corrected on the spot, while businesses that deliberately omit origin labels will face fines. Those found to have falsified origin information will be referred to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's civil judicial police unit for prosecution.
Businesses caught twice or more for failing to display origin information, or found to have falsified it, will be registered in the integrated origin enforcement information system and have their violations publicly disclosed for one year.
The district also plans to distribute collective and individual origin display boards along with promotional leaflets to traditional markets and mid-to-large retailers to encourage merchants to comply voluntarily.
"We will establish a transparent and fair retail order so that residents can purchase kimchi ingredients with confidence," Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said. "We ask for the active cooperation of vendors so that fraudulent practices such as origin mislabeling can be eradicated."
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