S. Korea to tighten import inspections on fisheries products

SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will tighten safety inspections on all
fisheries imports starting in 2010 to better protect the country from substandard
products, the government said Thursday.
The National Fisheries Products Quality Inspection Service said under the revised
guidelines that the proportion of products subject to detailed examinations will
increase to 30 percent of all shipments brought into the country from 28 percent
at present.
The number of antibiotics that will be screened for excessive use are to be
increased from 32 to 44, with the government to conduct swift "special
inspections" if harmful materials are discovered in goods.
Special inspections involve officials checking all or up to half of an individual
import shipment for such chemicals as malachite green, endosulfan and hormone
materials.
The agency under the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said
that in addition to checking products at international ports and airports, it
will conduct on-site inspections in such countries as China, Thailand, Vietnam
and Indonesia to determine sanitary and food processing standards of exporters.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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