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| Lee Seung-yong, a director of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, announces the government's plans to strengthen inspections on foods imported from Japan, at the Government Complex Sejong, Wednesday. Yonhap |
By Kim Hyun-bin
The government will strengthen safety inspections on foods imported from Japan's Fukushima region starting Friday as concerns over radioactive contamination still remain.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Wednesday it will double inspections on specific food imports from Japan if any previous products had been returned within the last five years due to the detection of radiation.
Subject to the strengthened inspections are 17 manufactured goods including roasted coffee, instant coffee, chocolate as well as agricultural goods such as spices and blueberries.
Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster, Korea has banned imports of marine products from eight Japanese prefectures and 27 agricultural products from 14 prefectures around the region.
In addition, the government has been conducting radioactivity inspections on all Japanese food products. If even a small trace of radioactivity is detected, such as cesium or iodine isotopes, the government requires the Japanese exporters to turn in safety certificates for 17 additional nuclides including plutonium. Any products that fail to meet specified requirements are sent back.
"So far, no companies have submitted certificates about additional nuclides, so products with radioactivity have all been returned," the ministry said in a statement. "We will do our best to manage the safety of imported goods to protect public health."
Tokyo has been challenging Seoul's decision to ban products from the Fukushima region, lodging a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO). In April, the WTO ruled in favor of Korea, claiming the measures do not constitute unfair trade restrictions or arbitrary discrimination.
