Korea recalls two seafood products over mercury levels

South Korea's food and drug safety ministry said Thursday it has suspended sales and ordered the recall of two seafood products after methylmercury was detected above the permitted limit. The products are a swordfish item made by Oseong Seafood, based in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, and a shark product made by Wawa Food, based in Saha-gu, Busan.

Testing by the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment found methylmercury at 2.2 milligrams per kilogram in the swordfish product, against a legal limit of 1.0 milligram per kilogram. The recalled batch, manufactured on Jan. 15, 2026, with a 24-month shelf life from the manufacturing date, amounts to 84.8 kilograms, in 10-kilogram units. Methylmercury was found at 1.4 milligrams per kilogram in one batch of the shark product and 1.3 milligrams per kilogram in another. The batches were manufactured on July 15 and July 28, 2026, each in 20-kilogram units, with a 12-month shelf life from the manufacturing date.

The ministry said it moved to recall the products quickly and urged consumers who bought them to stop eating them and return them to the place of purchase.