Tainted Food Was Not Exported From Korea

Chinese authorities banned the import of 10 Korean products, including kimchi, hot pepper paste, bulgogi seasoning paste, and others, citing that parasite eggs were found in them.

However, Korean manufacturers of those products said, “We did not export kimchi to China,” making the issue more complex.

Some say China imposed the ban on Korean-made products in retaliation against a series of announcements by Korea stating that harmful materials were found in Chinese foods.

China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine announced on October 31 that it would stop the import of the 10 Korean products, and it posted on its website the names of the affected Korean food products including seven kinds of kimchi, two kinds of hot pepper paste, and one kind of bulgogi seasoning.

In addition, it ordered a quarantine organization under the administration to return the disqualified Korean food products to Korea or burn them and temporarily stop the import test for the products.

However, the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said, “This year, 16 tons of kimchi were exported to China, but Dongwon, Doosan, CJ, Pulmuone, and Doturak did not export kimchi to China.”

These companies also made the same argument.

The Korean government said, “The measures taken by China should be respected if the Chinese announcement is true. In order to make certain of the Chinese argument, we will receive related data from China and examine them.”