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Busan Metropolitan City to Conduct Special Chuseok Food Safety Crackdown Ahead of Holiday

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, will conduct a five-week Special Chuseok Holiday Food Safety Investigation from August 20 to September 23.

The investigation aims to broadly examine illegal practices that may occur throughout the manufacturing and sales process at businesses handling high-demand holiday foods, thereby ensuring food safety so that citizens can purchase and consume such products with confidence.

The investigation will focus on businesses that manufacture or sell foods for which consumption increases sharply during the holiday season, including health foods such as red ginseng, meat products such as Hanwoo beef, Korean-style savory pancakes, and traditional Korean confectionery.

Inspection targets will be selected based on a comprehensive assessment of risk factors, including previous violations and reports of suspected illegal activity. In particular, the city plans to conduct preemptive inspections of businesses suspected of violating country-of-origin labeling requirements or maintaining poor sanitary conditions.

The city will also actively employ scientific inspection methods in cooperation with specialized institutions, including the Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment, to thoroughly identify illegal practices.

Key areas of inspection include false or misleading country-of-origin labeling; violations of food handling standards, such as storing products requiring frozen storage under refrigeration; extension of use-by dates; labeling and advertising that claim foods can prevent or treat diseases; and the use of substandard ingredients that are unlabeled or past their use-by dates. These are among the illegal practices that may occur during periods of heightened holiday demand.

In particular, the city plans to intensively inspect livestock products and other goods for country-of-origin labeling violations, as demand rises sharply ahead of Chuseok and the substantial price difference between domestic and imported products is expected to increase the risk of fraudulent distribution.

Businesses found in violation during the inspections will be subject to strict measures, including criminal prosecution and notification of the competent authorities, in accordance with applicable laws.

False or misleading country-of-origin labeling is punishable under the Act on Origin Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products by imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine of up to KRW 100 million. Violations of food handling standards are punishable under the Food Sanitation Act by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to KRW 50 million. Storing or using unlabeled products or products past their use-by dates is punishable under the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods and the Food Sanitation Act by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to KRW 30 million.

The Food Investigation Team of the Busan Metropolitan City Special Judicial Police Division is also accepting reports from citizens regarding suspected illegal practices. Food-related reports may be submitted by calling 051-888-3091, while reports concerning country-of-origin labeling may be submitted by calling 051-888-3096.

Lee Byung-seok, Assistant Mayor of the Citizen Safety Office, said, “We planned this investigation to eradicate food-related illegal practices that repeatedly occur around the Chuseok holiday and to ensure that citizens can purchase and consume holiday foods with confidence.”

He added, “We will do our utmost to ensure food safety and establish a sound distribution system by strictly investigating identified violations in accordance with applicable laws.”