Korea food safety ministry launches winter seafood inspection drive

The food and drug safety ministry said it will run an intensive collection and testing program for seafood eaten heavily in winter, covering 720 items sold online and offline from Nov. 9 to Feb. 26 next year, working with local governments.

The target list leans on the products Koreans reach for in the cold months: raw oysters, gwamegi — half-dried Pacific saury — dried laver and other minimally processed seafood, and sliced raw fish sold for delivery. Winter accounts for about 38 percent of the country's seafood production.

The inspection will concentrate on test items with a history of non-compliance. Raw oysters will be checked for E. coli and norovirus, while simple-processed items including dried pollack and dried anchovies will be screened for heavy metals. Gwamegi and delivery raw fish will be tested for food poisoning bacteria and veterinary drugs.

Any product found non-compliant will be pulled from sale and recalled promptly, and the results will be posted on the Food Safety Korea website. The ministry said it will keep strengthening safety management of seafood whose production and consumption rise with the season.