Direct overseas purchases of ”red yeast” blocked...5 deaths

The South Korean government announced on the 29th that it will block direct overseas purchases of five functional health food products containing ingredients from Japan's Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s red yeast rice.
Items to be blocked are "Red Yeast Choleste Help (60 tablets, 90 tablets, 45 tablets)" and "Nattokinase Sarasaragi GOLD"
These are five Kobayashi Pharmaceutical health functional food products that have been ordered recalled by the city of Osaka, including ``Naishi Help + Cholesterol.'' The affected products may be disposed of or returned through sorting and inspection during the import customs clearance process.
Import into South Korea will be restricted. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Customs Service (equivalent to Japan's Ministry of Finance Customs), the five products in question have not yet been imported into South Korea.
The authorities worked with domestic platform companies to prevent them from being sold through overseas direct purchasing. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical products are purchased directly from overseas.
If damage occurs due to food being imported into the country, please seek consultation from the ``Correctly buying food directly from overseas - International trade consultation'' section of the food safety portal ``Food Safety Nara (meaning country in Korean)'' homepage.
"Red yeast rice" is made by fermenting rice with red yeast fungus to turn it red, and is said to have cholesterol-decomposing properties. Recently, health supplements containing red yeast rice ingredients have become available in Japan.
It has been reported that five people are believed to have died from kidney disease and other illnesses after taking the supplement, and more than 110 people have been hospitalized.