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Fisheries Resources Research Institute to Tighten Safety Oversight of Busan Seafood

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Busan Metropolitan City’s Fisheries Resources Research Institute (hereinafter “the Institute”) announced that it will expand seafood safety inspections this year to establish a safer environment for seafood production and supply and to further strengthen its safety management system.

The Institute has developed the “2026 Detailed Implementation Plan for Seafood Safety Inspections” and will strengthen its safety management system by:

• ●Strengthened testing: reinforcing inspections for high-consumption species and species with a history of noncompliance; and

• ●Expanded test items: significantly increasing the number of test items from 72 to 166.*

• ●166 test items: radiation 2, heavy metals 3, veterinary drugs 137, prohibited substances 20, others 4

In particular, the Institute plans to strengthen inspections for veterinary drugs with no established maximum residue limits by applying the Positive List System (PLS) for permitted veterinary drugs in farmed seafood.*

• ●Positive List System (PLS): a system that applies a uniform standard (0.01 mg/kg) at the “non-detect” level to veterinary drugs for which no residue limits for fish have been established.

This year, the Institute will further enhance seafood safety management by expanding its high-performance, high-precision analytical equipment for veterinary drugs and substantially increasing the scope of safety testing.

• ●The number of veterinary drug analytes will be expanded from 65 to 157 this year,* and additional analytical equipment will be installed to ensure accurate testing.

• ○Veterinary drug analytes (157): veterinary drugs 137, prohibited substances 20

• ●For any noncompliant items exceeding the standards, the Institute will take measures such as delaying shipment and will also conduct thorough follow-up management. In addition, the Institute will publish test results twice a month on its website (busan.go.kr/depart/safetyinspection) so that residents can use seafood with confidence.

Meanwhile, the Institute reported that last year’s radiation testing found seafood at the pre-distribution stage—before products enter the market—to be compliant with testing standards.

• ●For radiation testing, inspectors randomly collect samples at fish auctions and farm sites, and conduct precision testing for 10,000 seconds (about 3 hours) using a gamma-nuclide analyzer.* Applying domestic standards that are ten times stricter than international standards, seafood must test at or below 100 Bq per kilogram (kg). Last year, the Institute conducted radiation tests on 554 samples across 80 species, and all results were compliant, with levels below the standard.

• ○Gamma-nuclide analyzer: precision radiation analysis using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector
  ** International standard (CODEX, Codex Alimentarius Commission): 1,000 Bq per kilogram (kg) or less
  *** Radiation test items: cesium-134 plus cesium-137, iodine-131, etc.

• ●In addition, safety testing for heavy metals and other substances on 619 samples across 97 species* also found all results to be compliant, with levels below the standards.

• ○2025 testing scope (97 species, 619 samples): 117 samples from 9 farmed seafood species; 502 samples from 88 marine and inland-caught species

Kim Jun-tae, Director of the Fisheries Resources Research Institute of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “We will conduct even more thorough safety inspections of seafood at the pre-distribution stage to ensure the safe production of our seafood and to strengthen consumer trust.”