1. BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES

MFDS has not made safety inspection of some GMOs (Korean, WMJ)

http://www.naeil.com/News/politics/ViewNews.asp?nnum=721389&sid=E&tid=9

Summary: The fact that Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has not conducted toxicology test on some GMO is revealed.  MFDS disclosed that they don’t carry out toxicology test on stacked events at 17^th, July.  Stacked events are new crop that made by crossbreeding of GMOs which has specific traits, like crossbreeding each GMOs that has insect resistance and that has drought resistance.   MFDS have a stand that there’s no need to carry out toxicology test again because the GMO that used in crossbreed already got all essential inspection.

Relating to it, a GMO specialist in Korea Consumer Report (KCR) said “that’s same logic that if father and mother got medical check already, then their child doesn’t need to have medical check. In case of stacked events, it has the complexity much, and uncertainty also. So it’s the common sense to carry out safety inspection more exhaustively.”  

2. GRAIN & OILSEED ISSUES

Korean Wheat is oversupplying   (Korean, WMJ)

http://joongang.joins.com/article/aid/2013/07/18/11698798.html?cloc=olink|article|default

Full text: Korean wheat that produced just 30,000~40,000 a year is oversupplying due to can’t secure enough consumption.  For that reason, government is supplying them as military food service or spirit soluble of SoJu. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) disclosed they decided to give national soldier food service using Korean wheat from 18^th July for accelerating a consumption of Korean wheat in 17^th July.  They plan to put 1,470tons of Korean wheat to 6 items including Hardtack, Jajangmyeon, Naengmyeon etc. that is equal to 5.5% of flour that can be made through amount of Korean wheat which produced in last year.  The officials of MAFRA said, “the recent consumption of Korean wheat is 25,000~30,000 tons. For wipe through stocks that have been filed for many years, we have supplied about 30,000 tons of them as spirit soluble of SoJu since this January.”   The reason why the Korean wheat is left over is that the price is much higher than imported wheat. The price of Korean wheat is 900won per kg, but imported one that entered with tariff is just 350 won per kg. For that situation, just only little amount of Korean flour is distributed.

In the total consumption of wheat, Korean wheat takes only 2% of it. So, government has suggested farms to produce food crops like wheat, barley for save food security.  But the problem is the consumption can’t keep up with production.

ROKG: Re-extend the delayed tariffication or open the market? (Korean, WMJ)

http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=101&oid=022&aid=0002555478

Summary:  The government is contemplating tariffication on rice as a warning of expiration of delayed tariffication that will come next year. Government takes a position that to convert into tariffication is advantageous for us, but it seems to be hard to decide due to backlash from farmer’s organization, the political sphere etc.  Especially, a local election that will be held next June makes government feel rushed and harder to decide.  According to Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), ‘Research Forum for Development of the Rice Industry’ is established, so they are planning to start discussion in the first conference at 22 July.

3. LIVESTOCK ISSUES

Fully implementation of pork traceability seems to be postponed (Korean, WMJ)

http://www.nongmin.com/article/ar_detail.htm?ar_id=220047&subMenu=articletotal

Summary: overall execution of pork traceability that originally scheduled to start from this December is being postponed due to revision of law which is delaying for opposition party’s request of public hearing.  In the last provisional session, the opposition party called for additional public hearing before passing the law, but it wouldn’t be passed at least until regular session in September unless provisional session opens in August.  So it can be hard to implement pork traceability system within this year.

4. MARKETING ISSUES

Korean Freight Shippers to Test Ship through Northern Arctic Sea Route in August [Korean, OSY]

http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2013071898971

Summary: According to the Ministry of Marine & Fisheries, three Korean sea freighters (Hyundai, Hanjin and Globis) are planning to test ship from European ports to Busan (Korea) port through the Northern arctic sea route in August.  The route, which opens in the summer months, is 7,000 km (or 10 days) shorter than the Suez route for shipping from a European port to Busan, Korea.  For shipping from New York to Busan, it is 5,000 km (or 6 days) shorter.  The North arctic sea route has become commercially available recently due to the effect of global warming.  Korean shippers plan to further research the route based on the outcome of the trial shipping this year.

Each Korean Adult Drank 331 Cups of Coffee on Average in 2011 [Korean, OSY]

http://news.donga.com/3/all/20130721/56580579/1

Summary: According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, each Korean adult consumed 3.3 kg of coffee beans in 2011 which is comparable to 331 cups of coffee.  The report pointed out that while whole bean coffee consumption increased 54 percent, instant coffee mixes saw 2.6 percent decline from the previous year.

5. OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES

Crop situation in China affects Korean food market price.  (Korean, WMJ)

http://www.nongmin.com/article/ar_detail.htm?ar_id=220033&subMenu=articletotal

Summary: According to acceleration of importing Chinese agricultural products, china’s crop situation stat affects on our food market price directly. Regarding to it, the officials of Korea Onion Association said that the reason why the price of Korean and Japanese onion goes up this year is also for China’s poor crop situation. And even the transaction price at farm gate also tends to be decided by China’s crop condition.