President Park Jinsun of the Food Industry Association: "Government Does Not Recognize the Food Industry as Manufacturing"

President Park Marks First Anniversary... 'Food Company Support Center' Launches Next Month

A One-Stop Solution for Practical Resolution of Food Company Challenges

"The GMO full disclosure policy has not turned out as the association had hoped, and we do not fully understand the government's measures," he stated.

Jinsun Park, President of the Korea Food Industry Association, made this remark at a press conference held on September 29 at the Korea Food Industry Association Grand Education Hall in Seocho-gu, Seoul, marking the first anniversary of his inauguration.

Jinsun Park, president of the Korea Food Industry Association, is delivering a greeting at a press conference marking the first anniversary of his inauguration held on the 29th at the Korea Food Industry Association's main training center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kyeongjun Heo.

Starting at the end of this year, the government will require genetically modified food (GMO) labeling on soy sauce, sugars, and edible oils made using genetically modified ingredients. The food industry has voiced complaints that, even if no genetically modified components remain in the final product, the mandatory GMO labeling system based solely on ingredient use history could lead to negative side effects, such as instability in securing raw materials.

President Park said, "Over the past year, we've engaged not only with the government but also with the National Assembly extensively. Yet there is very little we can do at this moment. Many small and medium-sized businesses make up the food industry, but the government and society do not seem to recognize food manufacturing as a part of the broader manufacturing sector. What differentiates manufacturing from other sectors is the need for equipment investment, and both equipment investment and technological competency require significant costs."

At the event, the association announced detailed operational plans for the 'Food Company Support Center,' which will begin operations next month. With business environments, regulations, and institutional changes becoming increasingly complex, the center is designed to help small food companies overcome challenges resulting from a lack of expertise and relevant information.

President Park explained, "Issues faced by food companies in the field often require experts well-versed in the food industry to solve. The center will be operated with a field-oriented approach so that it becomes the first, most reliable point of contact for food companies."

The center will serve as a communication channel that promptly accepts various on-site difficulties faced by companies and provides tailored expert consultation for practical resolution. The program consists of three parts: 'one-on-one expert consultations' for ongoing business challenges, 'food sector on-site diagnosis' where experts directly visit companies, and 'government support program matching' to enhance the utilization of government projects suited to each food company.

Expert consultations will be conducted by specialists with more than 10 years of experience in the food sector, providing tailored advisory services. Core support areas include food safety, food manufacturing, production and technological innovation, general business management such as legal and labor affairs, export, sustainable management (ESG), and leveraging support projects.

The consultation procedure is as follows: after a company submits its difficulties to the center, the case is analyzed and the support method considered. Then an appropriate expert is selected for the specific field, and either a general consultation or on-site diagnosis is provided. General consultations take place via phone or online and are free up to five times per year for each company. On-site diagnosis can be used twice per year, with a cost of 300,000 won per visit; however, companies are only required to pay half of this cost.

Meanwhile, reflecting on his first year in office, President Park emphasized, "With global interest in K-Food growing, new markets are opening and there is a significant opportunity to enhance global competitiveness. We will work to ensure companies actively advance into overseas markets and promote their competitiveness."

President Park is the third-generation owner-manager of Sempio Foods. After graduating from the electrical engineering department at Seoul National University, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and a PhD in philosophy from Ohio State University. After serving as a professor at Villanova University in the U.S., he joined Sempio in 1994, and has led the company as CEO since 1997.

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