[Editorial] Embarrassing Revelations in 'Gimchi Affair'

They've found parasites in Korean gimchi and cabbage as well. Even dog and cat roundworm has been detected, and though they say the parasites were not in a large quantities of gimchi, the infected gimchi was distributed almost all around the country. Consumers who believed that Korean gimchi would be safe are shocked. It is just before the gimchi-making season, and it will be inevitable that people ask, "Will we be safe if we make our own?"

Food health authorities are saying that human, dog, and cat waste contaminated the infected gimchi where it was produced and also in the manufacturing and control process. At the same time, they say that it is only an extremely small amount of all that was distributed that was found to be a problem, the products in question are mostly from small businesses, and the parasite eggs that have been discovered are immature eggs and therefore are not harmful to humans.

There is of course no need to make people nervous by exaggerating the danger. However, the anxieties and confusion felt by consumers were largely brought about by food health officials. They cannot have the people's faith and trust after they hastily announced that domestic gimchi is okay only to reverse their position a few days later. Officials need to start by eradicating the insecurities felt by the people towards produce other than just cabbage. Korea's response to China's announcement it was prohibiting the importation of Korean gimchi becomes something of an embarrassment. However, the fact that parasites have been found in 1/4 of Chinese gimchi makes it clear why both countries need to stop blaming the other side out of pride and instead cooperate to resolve the issue.

The serious of the matter lies in how there were problems with quality management not just at the inspection stage but also with the production of the raw ingredients and at the manufacturing phase. On Thursday the government and ruling party issued a proposal that will integrate food safety into one process, spend more money on inspection, and improve sanitation in the whole production and distribution process. There must not be a repeat of the way the government comes up with the same old menu of strong measures to fight the problem only to have nothing happen in the long run. The people want safe meals on their tables.

The Hankyoreh, 4 November 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]