By Yi Whan-woo
The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of three cattle breeders who were indicted for stealing and misusing a brand exclusively used for quality indigenous beef.
The top court said Friday that the brand named after Hoengseong, a rural area in Gangwon Province recognized for its pasture-raised beef, can be used if cattle were raised in the region for a certain period of time.
The three members of a livestock association, including its 54-year-old chief surnamed Kim, were charged for labeling their beef “Hoengseong hanwoo” between 2006 and 2009 after raising most of their cattle in Hoengseong for only one or two months.
Since May 2011, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has required the brand to be used only for cows and other types of cattle raised in Hoengseong at least one year before they are slaughtered.
“It’s inappropriate to say that the accused violated the law because they sold their products before the law on the branding took effect in May last year.”
The court, however, added that any beef sold on the market after the law was introduced should be prohibited from using the name.
Kim and 10 others bought 904 cows born outside the region from 2006. They sold all the meat from those cattle under the brand after feeding 750 of their livestock in Hoengseong for less than a year.
They slaughtered the rest of the cows immediately after the purchase and also sold them as Hoengseong hanwoo, according to the prosecution.
The Chuncheon District Court ruled in favor of the breeders, saying there were no legal criteria on the brand when they sold their meat.
The appeals court, however, sentenced Kim to eight months in prison. It also handed down a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years to each of two other men, surnamed Kim and Chang.
The Supreme Court overturned the ruling and returned the case back to the appellate court.