Koo Yoon-chul: "Mandatory Pre-Cooking Weight Labeling for Chicken... Extension of Quota Tariffs on Sugar and Coffee"

Economic Ministers' Meeting and Price Ministers' Meeting

Koo Yoon-chul, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance, announced on December 2 that, starting from December 15, it will become mandatory for the top 10 chicken brands to display the weight of their products before cooking.

At the Economic Ministers' Meeting and Price Ministers' Meeting held that day, Deputy Prime Minister Koo stated, "We are introducing a weight labeling system for the chicken restaurant sector, which has not been regulated until now." He added, "In cooperation with consumer organizations, we will provide both price and weight information to consumers," and said, "We will operate a guidance period until the first half of next year, taking into account the burden on small business owners."

He further emphasized, "If the weight of processed foods is reduced by more than 5% without notifying consumers, we will impose not only corrective orders but also orders to suspend the manufacturing of those items."

Regarding the 2.4% rise in consumer prices in November, he explained, "This is due to the base effect from low prices in November last year, the continued high prices of processed foods that saw concentrated price increases in the first half of the year, and the expanded price increases for agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products and petroleum products, resulting from frequent rainfall and a rise in the exchange rate."

Koo Yoon-chul, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance, attended the Economic Ministers' Meeting and Price Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on December 2, 2025, and made remarks related to consumer price trends. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Deputy Prime Minister Koo stated, "We will manage food prices with a heightened sense of urgency, recognizing that price management is both the beginning and the end of stabilizing people's livelihoods." He added, "We will mobilize all available measures, including quota tariffs, to stabilize prices of key items, and will respond strictly to unfair practices that disrupt market order."

Regarding the government's response, Deputy Prime Minister Koo announced, "We will extend quota tariffs on 10 types of food ingredients, including sugar and coffee, until the end of next year, and on 12 types, including processed egg products, until June next year." In particular, he said, "For sugar, we will increase the quota tariff volume by 20%, from 100,000 tons this year to 120,000 tons next year, to further promote market competition."

He also said, "We will extend quota tariffs on nine types of feed ingredients, such as barley, until the end of next year to ease the burden on farmers and stabilize livestock prices."

As a measure to ease the burden on household grocery expenses, he stated, "We will supply about 20,000 tons of key agricultural products, such as cabbage, radish, and tangerines, from government reserves by January next year, and offer discounts of up to 40% on Korean beef and pork."

He also mentioned strategies to revitalize local economies. Deputy Prime Minister Koo said, "Within this year, we will designate four national marine ecological parks for the first time," and added, "In areas designated as ecological parks, we aim to restore damaged habitats and marine life with the goal of being listed as World Natural Heritage sites, and to develop eco-tourism programs such as marine leisure and ecological tours, fostering these as regional tourism resources that will attract 10 million visitors annually."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.