The Gunsan Coast Guard in North Jeolla Province searched the shopping network's offices on May to examine suspected country-of-origin violations, after notifying the company of the concern in late February and questioning officials in March.
The materials were released Tuesday by Rep. Choi Soo-jin of the opposition People Power Party.
The seasoned skate aired in September last year and January this year, selling 7,331 packages for 182 million won.
The dressed flatfish moved 2,604 packages across broadcasts in February last year and January, bringing in 102 million won.
Both products carried domestic-origin labels.
Investigators have largely built their case and plan to refer it to prosecutors this month, Choi said.
"That Public Home Shopping sells tainted food every year is an act that deceives the public, who trust a public institution and buy its goods," she said, urging a sweeping overhaul of the company's pre-sale screening.
Public Home Shopping rejected the account, saying the products' origin has not been determined and that a supplier is suspected of passing off foreign goods as domestic.
"The investigation is ongoing, and it has not been confirmed whether the products are foreign or domestic," the company said, adding it is cooperating with authorities as a victim and vets all merchandise before sale.
The company, under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, has issued six product recalls totaling about 2.35 billion won since 2020, covering cases from sesame oil mislabeling to inadequately sterilized broth.
AJP Takeaways
- Public Home Shopping, the state-run network under South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is under Coast Guard investigation over suspicions that skate and flatfish sold as domestic were actually foreign-caught, following a raid on May 27, 2026.
- The products in question moved about 9,935 packages for roughly 284 million won ($211,923) across broadcasts between February 2024 and January 2026, with investigators planning to refer the case to prosecutors in September 2026.
- Public Home Shopping denies deceiving customers, saying origin has not been confirmed and that a supplier is the suspected party, while lawmaker Choi Soo-jin cites six prior recalls worth 2.35 billion won since 2020 as evidence of repeated screening failures.
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