Seoul Launches Special Inspection Amid "Dyed Lettuce" Controversy... Businesses Caught Without Country-of-Origin Labels

Priority Inspections of Traditional Markets and Kimchi Manufacturing and Sales Businesses

All Chinese-Origin Cabbage Tests Showed No Harmful Substances

Expanded Safety Checks on Other Imported Agricultural, Marine Products, and Processed Foods

Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a special inspection of businesses handling kimchi. This measure is intended to address citizens' concerns following recent reports of hazardous foods overseas, such as "formaldehyde cabbage" and "dyed lettuce."

On October 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it had concluded inspections of 6,365 locations—including traditional markets as well as kimchi manufacturing and sales establishments, for which the preliminary tally was completed on September 23. Except for six businesses that failed to indicate the country of origin, all were found to be in compliance.

The city also collected and tested Chinese cabbage and kimchi, as well as products such as stem lettuce of Chinese origin distributed in the market, for hazardous substances. All of them have so far tested negative for such substances or have been found to have no safety issues.

Previously, from August 27 to the end of September, the city conducted a special inspection of about 9,500 kimchi-handling establishments—including general restaurants, traditional markets, and side dish stores—in cooperation with district authorities and private organizations. As of September 23, inspections had been completed at 5,802 traditional market businesses, while an additional 563 businesses engaged in food manufacturing, processing, or the direct sales of processed foods had also been inspected, surpassing the original target.

Of the 5,802 traditional market establishments selling agricultural, marine, livestock, and food products, 5,796 were found to be properly labeling the country of origin. Six establishments were found failing to indicate the country of origin, and the relevant district offices have already imposed administrative penalties such as fines on them.

Inspections of 563 food manufacturing and processing businesses, as well as direct sales processing establishments handling napa cabbage kimchi, confirmed that all were in compliance with hygiene and country-of-origin labeling regulations. In addition to these on-site inspections, the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment also collected and tested imported agricultural, marine products, and processed foods currently distributed on the market, and has so far found no notable issues.

This special inspection and product sampling were carried out as part of the "four-tier safety net for imported foods" announced by the city in August. In addition to import and customs inspections conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Seoul City has established a multi-layered safety management system that directly verifies products from wholesale markets through on- and offline distribution channels, all the way to restaurants, traditional markets, and the final point of consumption.

Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to complete the remaining inspections of kimchi-handling establishments and compile results regarding general restaurants by mid-October. In addition to kimchi and napa cabbage, the city will continue safety inspections of various other imported agricultural and marine products and processed foods that are widely consumed by citizens.

Jo Youngchang, Director of the Seoul Citizen Health Bureau, stated, "Apart from a few instances of missing country-of-origin labeling, no major safety concerns have been identified so far in the initial results of the special inspection or in the product sampling conducted to date. We will quickly conclude the ongoing inspections of kimchi-handling businesses, and any newly identified imported foods associated with overseas safety risks will immediately be added to our inspection list. This will ensure citizens have accurate information and can confidently make food choices."

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