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| A customer walks by gift-set boxes sold at Hyundai Department Store in Seoul, on Jan. 6. Yonhap |
By Kim Jae-heun
Local supermarket chains E-mart, Lotte Mart and Homeplus have confirmed that they will continue boycotting the sale of Japanese seafood.
The following announcement came after the Japanese government's recent decision to release a massive amount of radioactive water into the sea from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The retailers' decision to continue banning the import of Japanese marine products is rooted in flow-on environmental effects of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant back in 2011. The region was contaminated with radiation and Koreans urged the government and retail companies to stop importing food from Japan.
"To avoid any controversy, we just import seafood from far away in the United States or Norway. We don't even consider importing Japanese food products," an official from one of the chain supermarkets said.
Department stores here have also stopped selling Japanese seafood from some 10 years ago. Even the department stores' sushi bars will not use Japanese fish.
Before the nuclear plant disaster, various marine products such as hairtail, pollack, snapper and mackerel pike were commonly imported from Japan. Now they have been replaced by domestic products or imported frozen foods from overseas.
E-mart and Lotte Mart also promised to strengthen their in-house radiation level testing on imported seafood, separately from what the government runs.
E-mart will carry out radiation testing for 20 to 40 different types of seafood in stock, and all of the newly imported items will be checked as well, regardless of their place of origin.
Lotte Mart has started radiation testing at its logistics centers in Osan in Gyeonggi Province and Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province, before the seafood is delivered to individual supermarkets across the country.
"We will carry out rigorous radiation testing on all imported seafood products," a Lotte Mart official said.
Homeplus said it will offer more seafood products that have the "environmentally friendly" label.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) announced on Monday that it will increase seafood management measures for Japanese products.
Currently, the MOF only allows the importation of marine products that have tested safe from radioactive contamination by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
The marine ministry will strengthen the management of the supply chain history and regulation regarding origin for imported fishery products, especially from Japan.
"The government will crack down on restaurants, small dealers and retail giants that sell seafood imported from Japan. Any violation will incur strict penalties," a MOF official said.
