[Second Half Work Report] GMO Labeling Expanded, Harmful Tobacco Constituents to Be Disclosed for the First Time

Ministry to Strengthen Public Right to Know and Support for K-Brands in the Second Half
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Innovation and Enhanced Safety Management in Parallel
Expanded Oversight of Medical Narcotics and Support for Rare Disease Treatments

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will significantly strengthen the public’s right to know by expanding the scope of required labeling for genetically modified organisms (GMO) and by pushing to release information on the harmful constituents of tobacco. Regulatory support will be accelerated to enhance the global competitiveness of K-Food, K-Beauty, and K-Bio. At the same time, a food safety management system utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) will be established.

Eohyung Oh, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, announced the 2026 second half narcotics safety management plan on June 18th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yongjun Cho

On July 16, during a government work report session held at the Blue House State Guest House, the Ministry presented these key initiatives for the second half of the year to President Lee Jaemyung.

To guarantee the public’s right to know and protect public health, the Ministry will mandate GMO labeling even for soy sauce, sugars, and edible oils that do not retain GMO components after processing and manufacturing. For soy sauce, this will take effect immediately from December 31 of this year, while sugars and edible oils will have a one-year grace period before the regulation is enforced.

This will be the first time that information on harmful tobacco substances will be released to the public. The Ministry is currently analyzing 465 tobacco products from 20 companies through designated testing agencies, and plans to disclose the results in October.

Export support policies are also being strengthened. In the K-Food sector, a public halal certification system is being established under the Korea Food Safety Management Certification Institute to facilitate entry into Islamic markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. For K-Beauty, the world’s first “Global Cosmetics Regulatory Authorities Summit (GCORAS)” will be launched to help eliminate non-tariff barriers. In the K-Bio sector, a regulatory support system for contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals will be set up, and procedures for the approval of follow-up products such as biosimilars will be streamlined.

To improve access to treatment for patients with rare or intractable diseases, the government will expand emergency procurement of essential medical products whose supply has been discontinued. In addition, approval requirements will be eased for follow-up products containing the same active ingredient as orphan drugs, such as relaxing the requirement to submit risk management plans (RMP).

AI and digital technologies will be fully introduced into food safety management. The Ministry will develop an “AI-powered import food inspection solution” for automated review of import labeling and an “AI foreign substance detector” for automatic detection of foreign objects in meat. An AI service that can analyze overseas direct-purchase foods through photos and determine potential hazards will also be launched. The application of Food QR codes will be expanded to agricultural, livestock, and marine products so that consumers can check food information in real time.

Food labeling regulations will also be strengthened to prevent consumer confusion. Food names similar to those of pharmaceuticals will be prohibited, and processed foods in tablets or capsule form must be labeled “Not a pharmaceutical or health functional food.” False or exaggerated advertising using AI-generated fake expert images will be banned, and crackdowns on unfair food advertising using AI-based monitoring will be expanded.

Management of medical narcotics will be further tightened: punitive surcharges will be introduced for major violations such as illegal distribution or non-medical use, and an AI-based integrated narcotics misuse monitoring system (K-NASS) will be established to enable continuous surveillance through big data analytics. Prescription management will also be reinforced by making it mandatory to check propofol administration histories and the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) system.

In preparation for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan, the Ministry will operate a Food & Beverage Safety Management Team with the goal of achieving “zero food poisoning.” Venues, hotels, and nearby restaurants will be inspected ahead of time, rapid screening vehicles will be deployed during the event, and intensive inspections will be conducted at mass catering facilities, summer vacation restaurants, and egg distributors.

Oh Yukyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stated, “In the second half of the year, the public’s right to access safety information for food and pharmaceuticals will be greatly expanded, and the integration of AI and digital technologies into overall safety management will mark a turning point. While placing utmost priority on public safety, we will support K-Food, K-Beauty, and K-Bio in expanding globally without regulatory barriers.”

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