The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is considering legal action against three malicious posts related to the import of eggs from Brazil.
According to Yonhap News, spokesperson Byun Sang-moon made this statement during a press briefing at the government complex in Sejong on October 19. He noted that false and distorted information regarding the import of Brazilian eggs and agricultural land investigations is being indiscriminately spread on YouTube and social media.
Despite the ministry's efforts to clarify the facts through explanatory materials and interviews with the minister, some social media posts have maliciously distorted the government's policy intentions, he claimed.
Byun cited a post alleging that the Brazilian egg imports were intended to fund the Brazilian president's election campaign as an example of false information. He stated, "We are prioritizing legal procedures against three posts that exhibit high levels of malice and seriousness."
Additionally, he mentioned that the ministry is closely monitoring the creation and spread of posts containing false information by deploying dedicated personnel and plans to operate a fake news reporting center.
Previously, the government had initiated a pilot import of Brazilian eggs to alleviate domestic supply instability and diversify import sources. However, criticism arose over the import cost, which was estimated at around 40,000 won per box due to long-distance air transport and tariffs, leading to accusations of financial waste.
In response, the ministry clarified that only about 200 million won of the total import amount of approximately 1.6 billion won was spent on local purchases. However, it faced allegations on social media and in political circles that it was providing preferential treatment to specific Brazilian entities or supporting election funding.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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