**Abuse of Tariff Reduction Benefits**
Two importers who disguised Japanese scallops as Thai products have been handed over to the prosecution.
Busan Main Customs and the Busan Food and Drug Administration announced on the 25th that they had sent a 60-year-old man, identified as Mr. A, and another individual, Mr. B, to the prosecution on charges of violating the Special Act on the Safety Management of Imported Food by importing Japanese frozen scallops and scallop mantles disguised as Thai products.
Starting in September last year and continuing until April this year, Mr. A processed Japanese seafood at Mr. B’s seafood processing plant in Thailand and then brought it into Korea.
Mr. B exported the products at a higher price than other products in exchange for laundering the origin to appear as Thai.
They exploited the fact that, while domestic demand for Japanese seafood decreased, tariffs on Thai seafood could be reduced by 20% under the Korea-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.
It is estimated that they gained a profit of around 150 million won from this scheme.
Customs officials had earlier initiated an investigation after conducting genetic tests on scallops and scallop mantles reported as imported from Thailand, confirming that the products were from species collected in Japan.
A representative from Busan Customs stated, “We have strengthened safety management by conducting species identification tests on scallops imported from Southeast Asia.”