Korean Agency Discovers Eight Illegal Importers of Foreign Snacks

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified eight discount stores illegally distributing imported snacks under the guise of overseas direct purchases. While personal purchases for individual use are legal, items brought in for resale must undergo registration, import declaration, and safety inspections.

On July 21, the FDA announced that, in collaboration with the Customs Service, it analyzed data on overseas direct purchases and conducted on-site inspections, resulting in the discovery of eight discount stores selling unreported imported snacks.

The inspections were conducted based on information provided by the Customs Service regarding businesses suspected of illegal sales disguised as personal consumption. This represents a successful inter-agency effort to prevent the domestic distribution of illegal imported food products.

The inspection targeted 15 locations, including the eight discount stores with excessive overseas purchase histories and seven nearby establishments. The inspections confirmed that eight stores violated food-related laws by selling snacks without import declarations or displaying imported products without Korean labeling.

Specifically, four of the discount stores were found to be selling food items purchased through overseas direct purchases from countries such as Japan, Germany, and the United States without the necessary import registration. The other four stores were caught selling imported products that lacked Korean labeling.

The FDA emphasized, "Food purchased through overseas direct purchases for personal use cannot be sold or used for business purposes. To import food for sale, businesses must complete the import registration and declaration processes, ensuring that only products confirmed to be safe are distributed and sold."

Consumers are urged to check for Korean labeling on imported food products before purchasing. If they encounter illegal imported food or related violations, they are encouraged to report them via the food safety hotline at 1399 or through the 'My Hand' food safety information app.