Interview: Mr. Chang Tae-pyong, Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries is taking efforts to make the food industry as the next growth engine, by encouraging foreign investors. The government has chosen “Profit-making Agriculture and Fisheries & Lively Rural Society” as one of its goals to pursue for the next five year term. In line with the government commitment, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries aims to upgrade agriculture from primary production-based industry into advanced industry which encompasses processing and marketing so that our agriculture and fisheries can compete in a global arena.
Mr. Chang Tae-pyong, Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries tells us of his plans to promote Korea’s food industry as well as to attract more foreign investors in the national food cluster that is to be established in Iksan city.

>>MIFAFF will focus on creating an innovative agriculture and fisheries industry as the next growth industry for the next decade. We will stress importance to the following factors in order to take on the new innovative food policy:
-Reformation of the national agricultural cooperative federation and the national federation of fisheries cooperatives to be completed. Also, improvements in structure of agricultural and fisheries industry need to be made through stabilizing rural households’ income.
-Expand the new growth engines and promote high value-added branches such as innovative seed and bio-tech industry in order to set a new policy.
-Supply safe food through providing environment-friendly agricultural products, supply stabilization of agro-fishery products including rice, expansion and globalization of Korean food.
-Expand the rural farming and fishery business and revitalize the rural community in order to activate the regional economy
>>Despite the stagnation of agriculture in Korea, MIFAFF has been paying serious attention to sustainable growth of the food industry, and has selected it as a potential growing industry to create remarkable value.
In this context, MIFAFF decided to promote the national food cluster that will overcome the limits of low technology of the Korean food industry. We started by benchmarking the successful cases of Food Valley in Netherlands and Oresund Cluster in Denmark and Sweden.
Hence, the export-oriented national food cluster -Foodpolis- was announced to be formed in Iksan city by 2011 and it is our aim to become a hub of Northeast Asia’s food industry. Foodpolis (239ha) will set up an active manufacturing, processing and export system through a liaison with Saemangeum and Korea Food Research Institute (to be relocated in Jeollabuk-do). Inside the complex, about 150 research institutes and domestic/international companies will be attracted to promote traditional, functional and organically processed food. Also, about 6 government-supported facilities, such as cluster support centers and R&D centers, will support in developing special technologies, functional evaluation and boost competitiveness of the companies in residency.
>>The key goal of MIFAFF is to expand attraction of foreign direct investment into agro-food industry. In order to create the Foodpolis as a foodhold of FDI, MIFAFF will designate Foreign Investment Zone and grant various incentives such as supplying a low rent long term lease and support funds for agricultural policy and R&D.
MIFAFF will also give an impetus to attracting foreign investments by cooperating with professional investment agencies- EUCCK and Invest Korea. Moreover, we will constantly make efforts to seek ways to draw foreign investments in Fund of Funds for agro-food (KRW 100 billion) by 2011, high-tech glasshouse, and capital-intensive agri-business.
In early July, MIFAFF appointed a consultative committee comprising renowned food companies (Danone and Nestle), distributors (Homeplus) and quality-testing institutions (SGS). The committee will advise on foreign investment in the Foodpolis and will help to promote the national food cluster to related food companies. Also, the committee will participate in the workshop hosted by MIFAFF and visit the places like Foodpolis in Iksan and Saemangeum reclaimed shore, to discuss about  investment programs and improvement of the foreign investment conditions.
>>The European Union, with the world’s largest economy ($10 trillion), is the second partner to conclude FTA (official agreements to be signed in late 2010) with our country.
MIFAFF has been seeking ways to take measures for agriculture and fisheries houses to help from opening the market. In particular, the recent Korea-EU FTA is expected to threaten the livestock industry and we will try to come up with a radical reformation of the industry. For example, the market share of the domestic beef after resumption of U.S. beef is increased by implementing place-of-origin indication system and beef traceability: 44.2% (2004) → 47.6% (2008) → 49.8% (2009). Also, the planted areas for grapes after Korea-Chile FTA is rather increased by 12.1%: 1,641ha (2003) → 1,842ha (2006) → 1,840ha (2007).
Thus, FTA and DDA can be worked as a chance to increase agricultural trade with neighboring countries with huge market like China and India. China’s interest for health and well-being could impact on the country’s export for food companies as well as the whole agricultural sector.

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Interview: Ms. Jhon Eun-sook, Director General, Korea Food & Drug Administration

The Korea Food & Drug Administration is responsible for promoting the public health by ensuring the safety and efficacy of foods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cosmetics, and supporting the development of the food and pharmaceutical industries.
When the Korea Food and Drug Safety Headquarter was raised to the status of administration in February 1998, the Food Safety Bureau began with three divisions and 25 employees. As of June 2010, its organization and no. of personnel have increased to 11 divisions and 144 employees.
In an exclusive interview Ms. Jhon Eun-sook, Director General, Food Safety headquarters talks about the responsibilities of the department and the plans for the future:

The Food Safety Bureau is in charge of the Framework Act on Food Safety, Food Sanitation Act, Act on Health and Functional Food, and Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Life. It devises safety management policies on food (including health and functional food), food additives, and utensil and container packaging, and executes the policies.
Its key activities include 'preventive activities', 'quick response to food accidents', 'safety management in preparation for the future', 'improvement of the nation's reputation by advancing food safety', and 'promotion of food safety and nutrition policies that citizens identify with'.
To prevent food accidents
- Expand and operate the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Provide facility support to small- to mid-sized companies, field technology guidance, and customized training so that HACCP-applied products can account for at least 95% of total food production by 2012.
- System where consumers request for sanitary inspection
If there are 20 or more consumers who suffered the same damage, a sanitary inspection is carried out by food sanitation inspectors, including HACCP inspectors and the food poisoning cause assessment team. The results of the inspection are notified to consumers and disclosed on KFDA's Website.
- Strengthen imported food safety management
A field inspection is carried out for companies and countries from which food is imported in large quantities, that have a high number of cases of unsuitability, or whose products have been detected to have carcinogenic substances. This is how imports of harmful food are prevented and relevant products are managed with focus.
For voluntary sanitation management by importers, various systems are in operation, such as the 'prior confirmation and registration system for imported food', 'Good Importer Practice system', and 'system of carrying out field sanitary inspections on manufacturers of OEM food products that are imported'.
KFDA is moving forward with adopting a system that assigns inspection responsibilities to importers, such as strengthening responsibilities of importers of inappropriate food and issuing an order to inspect imported food products for which there is concern over their harmfulness.
- Focused prevention of food poisoning
A food poisoning response council, consisting of private and government officials, is operated to carry out food poisoning prevention activities at the national level.
To especially prevent food poisoning caused by norovirus infection which occurs irrespective of the season, KFDA is engaging in concentrated management, providing guidance, and inspecting facilities that use underground water, such as schools and teenager training centers.
To quickly respond to food accidents
- Automatically stop sales of harmful food products and provide subtitles on television on the recall of such products
Automatically stop sales of harmful food products through stores of key distributors, including Lotte Mart, Emart, Hyundai Department Store, Family Mart, and GS Retail.
When harmful food products that contain such dangerous substances as melamine are discovered, provide television subtitles on product information in real time through four television channels, including KBS.
- Operate a quick harmful food recall system
Quick countermeasures are taken against harmful food products by operating the ?food management status report system?, which allows comprehensive identification of the nationwide monitoring status.
Expand SMS services on harmful food information that are provided to citizens and food sellers across the nation, including supermarkets, and expand the traceability system for quick recall of harmful food products.
- Build a safety management network in the distribution and sales phase
Inspect agricultural, livestock, and marine products as well as processed food products available in the market with focus on harmful substances, including heavy metals and pesticide residues, and engage in concentrated monitoring of food products with a history of unsuitability and food products for which there is concern of harmfulness.
Food safety management in preparation for the future, including climate change
- The climate change-countering food safety management research? project team was launched to draw up food safety strategies.
A total of 12.5 billion won will be invested for five years, starting from 2010, to engage in food safety management research aimed at taking preemptive measures against climate change.
Carry out four key programs - ? Make food safety forecasts and impact assessments in relation to climate change; ? Analyze the influence of harmful factors and research how to manage them through climate change simulations; ? Develop food safety technologies and build a food safety management system in response to climate change; ? Raise citizens' awareness of the safety of climate change adaptation food products and build a relevant information system - and 23 sub-programs
- Develop and supply manufacturing technologies that prevent the waste of resources by minimizing the generation of harmful substances. This includes supplying manuals on manufacturing methods that reduce harmful substances (benzopyrene, MCPD, etc.) in the manufacturing phase of cooking oil, soy sauce, etc.
Improve the nation's reputation by advancing food safety
- Strengthen the nation's criteria to reach the level of advanced countries and international organizations, such as the European Union and Codex, with regards to pollutants and new types of harmful substances in food.
- Overhaul food additive ingredient standards and usage criteria so that they reach the level of advanced countries.
Create new standards and strengthen existing standards on harmful heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, solvent residues, and microorganisms for 258 different food additives.
- Move forward with interfacing information systems that would allow real-time sharing of food safety information with countries that signed a food safety and sanitation agreement (MOU) with Korea, such as China and Vietnam.
Promote food safety and nutrition policies that citizens identify with
- Develop and disseminate an *individual nutrition management program ("Calorie Codi that is based on mobile phones.
- Adopt a consumer sanitation inspection system to encourage direct participation by consumers in food safety policies.
- Move forward with "reducing the consumption of sodium", making children's food products "zero trans fat", and reducing consumption of sugar and sodium.
KFDA has been continually carrying out R&D activities on safety management, such as that for food products, since 1998, when the Korea Food and Drug Safety Headquarter was raised to the status of administration. The program's objectives are to "build a preventive safety management system by setting scientific standards and engaging in safety assessments on hazardous substances in food and nutrition components that may be harmful in order to promote citizens' health and engage in food safety management at the level of advanced countries".
There are six key research areas (as of 2009).
1. Food safety management research: Conduct risk assessments to create new standards on harmful substances in food, establish a foundation to strengthen risk assessments, and develop testing methods.
Example) Research on safety evaluation of illegal, harmful substances in food, development of testing methods on pharmaceuticals for animals for which new standards need to be established, and research on developing a model that is suitable for Korea for conducting risk assessments on pesticide residues in food.
2. Safety management of nutritional, functional food: Research on genetically modified food inspection methods, research on food allergen indication and inspection methods, and establishment of standards on harmful substances in health and functional food products.
Example) Safety verification testing on genetically modified food, improvements to and establishment of methods used to analyze food additives in food products, and research on safety management for side effects of healthy, functional food.
3. Safety management of national antibiotic resistance: Assess the current status of antibiotic resistance (non-clinical), and hold a special committee on antibiotic resistance of Codex and engage in international cooperation-based research to come up with safety management measures.
Example) Research on the characteristics of harmfulness of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a survey to ascertain consumer awareness of appropriate usage of antibiotics
4. Safety management of children's food products: Establishment of an integrated management network for children's food products and measures to ensure safety of children's food products.
Example) Research on reducing nutrition components in food that have the possibility of causing harm, research on setting the maximum vitamin and mineral content in health and functional food products for children, and research on establishing a dietary life environment that prevents obesity in children.
5. National monitoring system: Engage in prior monitoring activities to enact and amend standards and criteria, check if standards and criteria are observed, and conduct monitoring activities to reassess standards.
Example) Monitor heavy metals in vegetables, assess the existence of dioxins and PCBs in food, monitor PAHs in marine products, and research test methods on organo arsenics and inorganic arsenics in agricultural products and assess the current status.
6. Food safety management in relation to climate change: Research is carried out to device measures against an increase in harmful marine products resulting from a change in the marine ecosystem, owing to a rise in the sea surface temperature, and a rise in new types of food poisoning bacteria, including germs and viruses.
Example) Evaluate costs of social and economic losses in the area of food safety caused by climate change, and analyze what impact climate change has on food poisoning and research the relevant management system.
Achievements from research projects in 2009 include the following: ? Implementation of institutional improvements and enactment/amendment of standards and criteria: 80 cases; ? development of test methods: 88 cases; ? monitoring projects and establishment of an informatization foundation: 43 cases; ? education and PR activities on research results and spread of/support for technologies: 164 cases; ? development of guidelines, manuals, and handbooks: 37 cases.
Research project costs for the last three years: 13,930 million won (2008); 17,340 million won (2009); 17,510 million won (2010)
In Korea, consumers are highly interested in food safety and citizens' health. For this reason, there is high demand for satisfaction of consumers' right to know such as through food labeling. Accordingly, there have been frequent changes to labeling standards. Some have said that this causes inconveniences.
To make improvements:
- First, KFDA will implement a 'system of an integrated enforcement date for food labeling standards'. Irrespective of the number of times or timing of amendment to food labeling standards, a grace period of at least one year will be provided before enforcement of labeling standards, and there will be one integrated enforcement date a year. This system will address current inconveniences of sellers where they need to change the label on product packaging whenever labeling standards are changed and reduce their financial burden in this regard. In addition, relevant parties will know beforehand of the implementation of such administrative measures to result in a higher level of observance of regulations and resolution of civil complaints.
- Second, KFDA will thoroughly review whether amendments to food labeling standards have the possibility of triggering trade conflicts. It will also make notifications to the WTO and make efforts to actively incorporate opinions submitted by foreign countries.
- Third, KFDA will create an English version of the food labeling standards and provide it on KFDA's Website. It will do so in order to help exporting countries understand Korean labeling standards and to promote smooth trade activities. Considering that a full amendment will be made to food labeling standards this year, an English version will be provided after next year.

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Interview: Mr. Christian Ehler, Chairperson of the European Parliament's Delegation to Korean Peninsula

In accordance with Rules 198 and 200 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure, the European Parliament may set up standing interparliamentary delegations, Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and Joint Parliamentary Committees. The number of these bodies may vary from one legislature to the other.
The interparliamentary delegations' main objective is to establish, channel and promote parliamentary dialogue with the partner countries' legislative institutions and also with the parliamentary institutions concerned with integration at regional or sub-regional level. Such objectives are achieved by means of regular gatherings at Parliament's places of work and in the counterpart countries, during which topics of mutual interest in the national, bi-regional and international spheres are discussed.
Information gathered is made available to Parliament's other Members by means of regular reports or reports drawn up by the chairman after each visit or interparliamentary meeting. The reports are usually submitted to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Sub-Committee, Development, International Trade and when directly relevant to other Committees. They sometimes give rise to European Parliament resolutions.
The Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula covers relations with both States on the Peninsula: South Korea and North Korea.
The Korea Delegation is a young one. It was created with the 6th Parliamentary term in 2004. Before that South Korea-related activities fell in the remit of the Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia, ASEAN and the Republic of Korea, whereas North Korean affairs were dealt with in the Foreign Affairs Committee, which eventually sent limited ad hoc delegations. Interparliamentary meetings with South Korea were relatively frequent, considering the area covered by the Delegation.
The delegation holds regular meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg to examine matters such as the current economic and political situation in the Korean States, humanitarian and Human Rights issues, inter-Korean relations, regional security issues, as well as the negotiations between the EU and the South Korea on a Free Trade Agreement.
The Chairperson of the European Parliament's Delegation in the last term were successively Mrs Ursula Stenzl and Mr Hubert Pirker. The current Chairperson is Mr. Christian Ehler, who made his first visit to Korea in this capacity last month. While his schedule was packed, he did make time for an exclusive interview on the current state of relations between both sides.
He noted that this a very important period for the relationship. While everyone is anxiously talking about the impending EU-Korea FTA, the broad public has underestimated the importance of the new Framework Agreement on the relations between the EU and Korea which was signed recently.
He noted that the new Framework Agreement is an important step in the relations. It addresses a broad range of global issues and areas of international concern, which include non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cooperation in the fight against terrorism, climate change, energy security and development assistance.
The text naturally includes standard political clauses - human rights, weapons of mass destruction, small arms and light weapons, counter-terrorism, the International Criminal Court and migration- and provisions for socio-economic cooperation, including cooperation in the field of justice. It provides a basis for deepening and broadening co-operation across the board.
He noted that together with an ambitious and comprehensive FTA this framework agreement will establish a good basis for strengthened partnership between the EU and Korea as global players. The delegation members therefore took this visit to South Korea very seriously.
“The delegation is very much in a working mood, and we are not here for a casual visit. We are in line with the European Commissions decision to choose Korea as a strategic partner in this region. It is of utmost importance that we create something like a new generation which is obliged to this new strategic partnership,he said.
He noted that the delegation wants to go beyond political and FTA talks and is seriously considering to create a young leadership program. It si pretty much for the same reason that the members also visited the SB Limotive plant, a 50:50 joint company of Samsung and Bosch, which targets to develop, manufacture, and sell lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications. With the formation of SB LiMotive both companies show their commitment to be a long term partner in the business of electrified mobility. SB LiMotive brings together the key skills to shape the future for automotive batteries by leveraging both world leading lithium-ion technology and automotive systems experience.
The scope of business covers lithium-ion battery applications for the automotive sector including ｵHEV, HEV, PHEV and EV.
This same kind of partnership should become visible in all spheres of the relationship between EU and Korea. Beyond agreements and political decisions, this is future of EU-Korea relations , a project like that in small scale should reach higher levels of penetration, he said.
Speaking on the EU-Korea FTA, he noted although the agreement was initialed last year, technically the text of agreement is not yet tabled in Parliament. They are in the process of being translated.
“We would proceed as we start first reading either before recession in July or the beginning of the next session in late August. Our political aim would be to deliver that before the G20 meeting in Korea. While very ambitious, atleast from the side of leadership of big groups, this is the timetable. It is upto the Commision and the Korean side to get the wordings of the agreement right,he said.
Mr. Ehler noted that the members we do not want to take FTA as a hostage to solve all other problems. He feels that in Korea there is awareness of this and hopefully it will be delivered by the end of the year.
He also referred to the recent tensions between South and North Korea, regarding the sinking of navyship Cheonan and said that he fully accepts the statement issued by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton.
She had voiced great concern of the results of the investigation, conducted by the authorities of South Korea with the participation of international experts, into the causes of the sinking of the Cheonan on 26th March, with the loss of 46 lives.
“The findings of the investigation are extremely disturbing, in particular the evidence presented of North Korean involvement. Based on these findings, I strongly condemn this heinous and deeply irresponsible action. I commend the restraint which the government of the Republic of Korea has shown in a tense situation of national grief and outrage,she said.
It was because of this strong feeling that the delegation skipped a visit to Pyongyang, and showed South Korea that they can live up to strategic partnership.
We don't want to exaggerate the EU position in the surrounding 6 party talks. But it does not make sense to shut down all channels, and we will continue with humanitarian assistance to North Korea, since the ordinary people are not to blame,he said.

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