A Seoul business was caught labeling braised soybeans made with Chinese-grown beans as domestic produce, city inspectors said. Two retailers selling meat patties without disclosing the origin of their pork, and two businesses cooking and selling pancakes without a food business registration, were also cited.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 30th that it had inspected 75 businesses, including traditional market vendors and meat retailers, for illegal distribution and sale of holiday foods ahead of Chuseok, finding violations at five. The inspections ran from the 7th to the 18th of this month and covered 38 vendors selling jeon, or pan-fried savory pancakes, and 37 meat retailers.
The violations included one case of false origin labeling, two cases of missing origin labels and two cases of operating a food business without registration. One business sold braised soybeans made with Chinese beans while labeling the origin as domestic. Two others made and sold dongeurangttaeng, or pan-fried meat patties, using pork without disclosing where the pork came from. Two businesses in traditional markets were also caught cooking and selling meat patties, pan-fried pollack and mung bean pancakes without the food business registration required under the Food Sanitation Act.
The city plans to open criminal cases against three businesses — the one that falsely labeled origin and the two operating without registration. The two that failed to label origin will be reported to their district offices with a request for administrative fines. False origin labeling carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won, while operating a food business without registration carries up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
No violations were found in origin testing of livestock products. The city said all 54 samples — 28 of Korean beef and 26 of Korean pork sold at traditional markets and online retailers — were confirmed as domestic. The Seoul Institute of Health and Environment conducted genetic testing on the beef samples, while the pork was screened using rapid origin test kits.
"We will continue cracking down on illegal practices involving foods and livestock products that citizens buy heavily during holidays and other peak periods, to build a food environment people can trust," said Lee Chang-seok, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Public Safety Investigation Bureau.
