A trade flap between South Korea and China took a new turn yesterday after health officials detected parasite eggs in domestically made kimchi, the spicy side dish beloved by Koreans.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said 16 out of 502 domestic kimchi brands were contaminated with roundworm eggs believed to have come from cats and dogs.
The watchdog seized 473kg of kimchi from 16 food producers, which account for 4.9 percent of total domestic kimchi production.
The famed dish of spicy fermented cabbage and radish, red peppers, garlic and ginger is a symbol of Korean national cuisine.
Four days ago China imposed an import ban on 10 South Korean food products, including kimchi, hot pepper paste and spices for broiled beef, saying they were contaminated with parasite eggs.
That announcement came after Korean food inspectors said kimchi from China was contaminated with parasite eggs.
"Parasite eggs found in Chinese kimchi appeared to have come from human waste while some domestic kimchi products were contaminated with roundworm eggs from dogs and cats," parasite expert Yoon Hee-jung told reporters.
More than 90 percent of kimchi is imported from China.
Last year 72,600 tonnes of kimchi arrived in South Korea, while imports in the first half of this year increased 114 percent from a year earlier to 49,850 tonnes, according to official data.
However, sales of Chinese kimchi have decreased sharply since the dispute erupted.
The detection of parasite eggs in kimchi sparked concerns about food safety.
But KFDA vice chief Kim Myong-hyun said the human body would not be contaminated with animal roundworms and their eggs.
He called for strict tests on kimchi exports because samples from a kimchi producer, who sold 43 tonnes of kimchi to Japan last year, failed hygiene tests.
Japan imported 32,000 tonnes of South Korean kimchi last year.
Taiwan waiting
Meanwhile in Taiwan, Hsiao Dong-ming (蕭東銘), deputy-director of the Bureau of Food Safety under the Department of Health (DOH) said that the department had already asked the South Korean government to give an in-depth report regarding kimchi quality controls.
Since most of Taiwan's kimchi is imported from South Korea, Hsiao said that he was waiting for South Korea's report and would ensure, once the report is issued, that all imported kimchi meets Taiwan's health and sanitation regulations.
Hsiao said the major problem concerning kimchi imported from South Korea in the past was that it contained a high amount of lead. However, recent tests indicated that the lead levels no longer broke regulations, he said.
Hsiao urged the public not to panic since the roundworm eggs discovered in South Korean kimchi represented only a small percentage of the total kimchi production. Kimchi products on the market will not be removed for the time being, Hsiao said.
The DOH will wait for further information from the South Korean government before making any decisions regarding kimchi products.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
The nation’s usually punctual high-speed rail system yesterday was hit by major disruptions after all scheduled services were canceled and replaced with three hourly trains offering only non-reserved seating, affecting more than 200,000 passengers. Preliminary findings indicate the disruption was caused by a faulty power module in a track switch control cabinet, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said, adding that as a full system inspection could only be conducted after operations end for the day, a decision on whether normal service would resume today would be announced before the first train departs. During a routine inspection early yesterday, a switch signal abnormality
RSS