In the Republic of Korea, organic agriculture is regulated by the Act on Promotion of Environment-friendly Agriculture and Fisheries and Management and Support for Organic Food etc. The latest version available in English was published in 2015. Since then, the Act has been updated several times. The revised version which is only available in Korean covers e.g. additional provisions and standards for apiculture and pet food, for inspector management, inspection methods and control procedures as well as a revision of organic input certification methods. The legislation requires that organic products are free from residues of pesticides, with a zero tolerance.
The competent authority is the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), which is responsible for the implementation of organic legislation as well as for the accreditation of the private certification bodies.
Within MAFRA, the Korean National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) is responsible for the audit of the MAFRA-accredited certification bodies. NAQS also administers the organic import control procedures.
The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) enforces regulation for general food safety, including the Korean Food Code. Amongst many other things, the Code defines the criteria for designation of products as processed (which is relevant for the question which products are allowed be imported to Korea under organic Equivalence Agreements (EAs)).
| Korean Food Code The Code covers all legislation relating to food safety, composition and labelling. It includes the specification of criteria for judging whether a food is considered as ‘processed’ or as an ‘agricultural product’ or as an ‘agricultural processed product’. | en |
| Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) The website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) provides comprehensive information on the role and objectives of MAFRA and links to the organic legislation. | en |
| Website on Environment-friendly Agricultural Products Certification The website informing about the Environment-friendly Agricultural Products Certification is provided by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS). | en |
| Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) The website provides comprehensive information on the role and objectives of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). |
한국식품코드 본 규정은 식품 안전, 구성 및 라벨링과 관련된 모든 법률을 다루고 있습니다. 여기에는 식품이 ‘가공품’인지, ‘농산물’인지, ‘농업가공품’인지를 판단하는 기준이 명시되어 있습니다. ko 농림축산식품부(MAFRA) 농림축산식품부(MAFRA) 웹사이트에서는 농림축산식품부(MAFRA)의 역할과 목적에 대한 포괄적인 정보를 제공하고 유기농법에 대한 링크를 제공합니다. ko 친환경농산물 인증 홈페이지 친환경농산물 인증 안내 홈페이지는 국립농산물품질관리원(NAQS)에서 제공하고 있습니다. ko 식품의약품안전처(MFDS) 홈페이지에서는 식품의약품안전처(MFDS)의 역할과 목적에 대한 종합적인 정보를 제공하고 있습니다.