The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday it tested 50 samples of cabbage kimchi, 29 of napa cabbage and three of salted cabbage after reports that formaldehyde, a Group 1 carcinogen, had been applied to cabbage cultivation in China.
The ministry said it screened products from every Chinese cabbage manufacturer and packaging firm distributing in South Korea.
Through the Korea Agency of HACCP Accreditation and Services stationed in China, it also traced the sourcing regions of 55 Chinese kimchi makers exporting to the country, finding none had bought cabbage from Kangbao county in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, where the tainted produce originated.
All 55 manufacturers hold Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification, the ministry said, noting that since October 2024 only kimchi produced by HACCP-certified facilities may be imported.
"Since strengthening inspections of Chinese cabbage on the 24th, we have been rigorously managing import safety, including testing for formaldehyde at the customs clearance stage," a ministry official said.
Formaldehyde, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, is used in disinfection and tissue preservation.
The alarm followed revelations that farmers in some rural parts of China had used the chemical to keep cabbage fresh, prompting Beijing's central government to order a special probe.
AJP Takeaways
• South Korea sourced the overwhelming majority of its commercial kimchi cabbage from China, giving any contamination scare outsized weight for the domestic food-service and restaurant supply chain.
• All 82 tested samples — 50 cabbage kimchi, 29 napa cabbage and three salted cabbage — returned negative for formaldehyde, and none of 55 exporting makers sourced from the affected Kangbao county.
• Beijing has ordered its own special investigation, with any findings potentially prompting tighter customs screening or a temporary import review in Korea.
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