(1) Reasons for Proposal

The Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control was amended (Act no. 16716; promulgated on December 3, 2019; to be enforced on June 4, 2020) to prescribe that where imported food, etc., has been placed under import suspension or where an import suspension has been lifted, information shall be disclosed on the foreign food facility or foreign establishment. Accordingly, this Amendment prescribes specific matters such as the content and duration of the information disclosure. It also modifies the criteria for administrative penalties applicable to non-compliance with the standards and specifications for food to a level equivalent to domestic food-related laws, and otherwise addresses a number of weaknesses that have emerged from the enforcement of the Act.

(2) Major Provisions

A. Disclose information on foreign food facilities/foreign establishments when an import suspension is placed or lifted (Article 3 and Article 14)

Prescribe the content and method, etc., of information disclosure, including the name, address, date and reason for import suspension measure, etc., of foreign food facilities/foreign establishments when an import suspension is placed or lifted.

B. Improve refresher training for business entities (Article 23)

Improve provisions as although a person who has received refresher training is engaging in a different category of business is regarded as having undergone refresher training in the different category, a person engaging in the same category of business is not construed as having undergone refresher training

C. Clarify the close inspection period for imported food, etc., in which harmful substances have been found

Clarify that close inspections, which are conducted on imported food that has been manufactured or exported by a foreign food facility that has manufactured imported food, etc., in which harmful substances have been found, shall be conducted for 2 years from the date on which the non-conformance is processed

D. Relax same company, same imported food, etc., requirements for liquors (attached Table 10)

Relax requirements for recognizing non-wine liquors as being the same food from the same company since wines are regarded as being the same food from the same company when they have the same country of manufacture, foreign food facility, product name, etc. even when the year of manufacture, age, and/or alcohol percentage are different. 

E. Improve criteria for administrative measures applicable to business entities (attached Table 13)

1) Improve the criteria for measures against violations, etc., of standards and specifications to a level similar to the Food Sanitation Act and other food-related laws.

2) Newly insert separate criteria for administrative measures applicable to online assisted purchasing service providers for imported food since it is excessive to apply the same criteria for administrative measures to online assisted purchasing service providers for imported food, etc., who buy and import food, etc., from overseas online malls on behalf of customers upon request, and to importers and sellers of imported food, etc., who import the food for the purpose of sale.