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Busan Metropolitan City Audit Committee Leads Improvement in Wholesale Market Agricultural Product Distribution Management… Citizen Safety as the Top Priority

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The Busan Metropolitan City Audit Committee (Chairperson: Yoon Hee-yeon, hereinafter referred to as the “Audit Committee”) announced today (17th) the results of its comprehensive audits conducted in February and April on the Banyeo and Eomgung Agricultural Wholesale Market Management Offices (hereinafter referred to as the “Wholesale Market Offices”).

The audits were conducted to proactively eliminate potential threats to citizen safety and intensively inspect long-standing irregularities and irrational practices in agency operations. The comprehensive audits were carried out in two phases—in February and April.

<Overview of Comprehensive Audit on Wholesale Market Offices> - (Audit Period)  Banyeo Agricultural Wholesale Market Management Office: February 19 (Wed) to March 5 (Wed), 2025 (8 days)  Eomgung Agricultural Wholesale Market Management Office: April 21 (Mon) to April 30 (Wed), 2025 (8 days) - (Audit Team) 7 members, including the head of the Audit Coordination Team - (Focus Areas) Market operation, public property management, basic compliance, and overall agency operations

Through this comprehensive audit, the Audit Committee uncovered a blind spot in the inspection system: agricultural products that had failed residual pesticide tests were being distributed to the market.

The Busan Institute of Health & Environment (hereinafter referred to as the “Institute”) is responsible for conducting residual pesticide tests and notifying the results to the Wholesale Market Offices, enabling them to manage agricultural products entering the wholesale markets. However, from 2022 to April 2025, tests were only conducted twice a week. As a result, agricultural products distributed on the remaining four days were not tested, and their pesticide compliance status was unknown.

On test days, the Institute conducted two tests daily (at 21:00 and 24:00). The results of the 21:00 test were reported at 03:00 the following morning—before the auction—allowing the Wholesale Market Offices to take actions such as collecting and discarding non-compliant products or restricting their sale. However, the results of the 24:00 test were not reported until 15:00 the next day—after the auction—meaning non-compliant products had already been distributed through the auction process, and the Wholesale Market Offices could no longer retrieve or discard them.

• ●Distribution of non-compliant agricultural products from 2022 to 2024: 148 cases, 14,312 kg (Banyeo: 59 cases, 5,057 kg / Eomgung: 89 cases, 9,255 kg)

<‘Previous’ Residual Pesticide Test Workflow by the Institute>
• 21:00 sample collection & testing → 03:00 result notification → 05:00 distribution → non-compliant distribution prevented
• 24:00 sample collection → 05:00 distribution → 09:00 testing → 15:00 result notification → non-compliant distribution occurred

Determining that nothing should take precedence over the safety of citizens’ food, the Audit Committee urgently requested the Institute and relevant entities to devise measures to eliminate the distribution of non-compliant agricultural products.

Vegetables, in particular, are often consumed raw and throughout the year. Due to their nature, once distributed in the market, it is practically impossible to trace and retrieve them. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct residual pesticide tests daily and report the results to the wholesale markets before auctions.

In May, the Institute and the Wholesale Market Offices implemented improved measures to strengthen residual pesticide testing for auctioned agricultural products.

First, the Institute expanded testing frequency from twice a week to six times a week (excluding Saturdays when no auctions are held), enabling more comprehensive inspection coverage.

Additionally, samples are now collected and tested daily at 22:00, and preliminary results are reported to the Wholesale Market Offices by 01:00 the following morning—before auctions begin—allowing suspected non-compliant products to be preemptively blocked from auction.

Final test results are then provided by 04:00, enabling the Wholesale Market Offices to collect and discard confirmed non-compliant products before they enter the market, thereby ensuring the safety of distributed agricultural products.

<‘Improved’ Residual Pesticide Test Workflow by the Institute>
• (Test Days) From twice a week → Six times a week (excluding Saturdays)
• (Test Process)
 22:00 sample collection/testing → 01:00 preliminary result notification → 04:00 final result notification → 05:00 product distribution
 → Prevents distribution of non-compliant agricultural products

Audit Committee Chairperson Yoon Hee-yeon stated, “It is an unusual occurrence for the audited departments to voluntarily develop improvement measures before audit results are officially released, reflecting the utmost importance of food safety and public health,” adding, “We hope this audit will serve as a catalyst for modernizing the entire agricultural wholesale distribution system.”

Meanwhile, for the issue of “inadequate handling of residual pesticide test results and distribution of non-compliant agricultural products,” the Audit Committee issued institutional warnings. The comprehensive audit results for the Wholesale Market Offices can be viewed on the city’s official website at www.busan.go.kr/gbinspec02.