Last year, 558 cases of Chinese kimchi being found to have been mislabeled as origins were uncovered in South Korea

With the kimchi making season approaching, a representative Korean culture, the price of Chinese cabbage is rising sharply, while the number of Chinese kimchi products that violate country of origin labeling is increasing.
On the 3rd, Im Ho-sung, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Forestry, Fisheries and Fisheries Committee, said that according to the National Assembly audit materials submitted by the National Agricultural Quality Management Service,
In 2021, 558 places were found to have falsified or not labeled the origin of Chinese kimchi. The number of cases, which was 551 in 2021, is expected to decrease to 414 in 2022.
However, the number started to increase again last year. As of August this year, 424 cases had been detected, and considering that the crackdown will continue until the end of the year, the number is expected to continue to increase this year.
In particular, 3,323 businesses were found to be falsely labeling Chinese kimchi as Korean by August this year, accounting for 76% of the total number of cases.
The rate of false origin indication reached 83% last year and exceeded 70% in 2022 (79%) and 2021 (76%).
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that it would import 1,100 tons of Chinese cabbage.
The government also announced that it would extend the tariff quota on Chinese cabbage and radish by the end of the year to lower the price burden. However, Chinese kimchi is in violation of the country of origin labeling regulations.
As Chinese cabbage is often imported into Korea, and consumers have little preference for it, it is considered difficult to import Chinese cabbage as an alternative to suppress the price of Chinese cabbage.
Although the price has risen, consumers prefer Korean kimchi to Chinese kimchi," he said. "Since the import of Chinese cabbage is only a temporary measure, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is fully committed to stabilizing the price of domestic cabbage.
We should do our best," he said.