SALES OF FAKE KOREAN BEEF SURGE AMID VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

Consumption of Korean beef Hanwoo has surged since the government provided disaster relief funds. This has resulted in a spike of Hanwoo prices and an increase in fake Hanwoo beef sold on the market because of less frequent crackdowns.

[Pkg]

Crackdown officials enter a butcher's shop in Gyeonggi-do Province to check if it marks the country of origin properly. This place disguised Australian chuck as Hanwoo bulgogi. The owner denies the wrongdoing.

[Soundbite] "(Did you sell imported chuck as Hanwoo?) No, I didn't."

When the officials show him the results of a DNA test, he begins to make excuses.

[Soundbite] (BUTCHER(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I specialize in beef round, but it's a rare part and it's available in limited amounts. When I run out of it, sometimes I sell imported ones."

Another butcher's shop in a residential area... Inside the refrigerator is a leftover lump of beef that was disguised as Hanwoo.

[Soundbite] "(This is it, the American beef. Did you sell this?) Only once."

A growing number of butchers are selling fake Hanwoo as crackdowns have been less frequent these days due to the pandemic. The results of crackdowns conducted in March and April show the number of places caught selling fake Hanwoo has surged seven-fold on-year. Although the animal products traceability system is in place, it's easy to fabricate the country of origin by simply forging label stickers. The only way to stop the problem is by strengthening crackdowns on beef sellers. Crackdown officials disguised as ordinary customers purchase livestock products at places suspected of fabricating the country of origin and compare the products' genome sequencing with that of genuine Hanwoo.

[Soundbite] PARK SOO-MIN(NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS QUALITY MANAGEMENT SERVICE) : "The fur color of non-Hanwoo beef is marked as "non-yellow." The DNA pattern shows its "non-Hanwoo.""

Hanwoo beef sold for unusually cheap prices or missing country of origin stickers is highly likely to be fake. The government has decided to step up crackdowns on the country of origin labeling during the next one month, as consumption of Hanwoo usually soars during the summer vacation season.