South Korea and China sign food safety pact to ease ramen exports

South Korea and China have signed three cooperation documents to enhance food safety and facilitate trade, significantly easing export requirements for Korean food products. During the 2026 APEC Customs-Business Dialogue in Dalian, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the General Administration of Customs of China established new protocols to streamline commerce.

A major outcome of the agreement is the opening of export routes for Korean ramen containing meat ingredients. Previously, China restricted these imports due to concerns over animal diseases. Under the new terms, products using meat from approved countries and meeting specific heat-treatment standards will be permitted, allowing manufacturers to supply the same products sold domestically in Korea to the Chinese market.

Additionally, the registration process for food producers exporting to China will be drastically shortened. By utilizing South Korea’s integrated civil service portal, the registration period for most food products is expected to drop from approximately three months to about 10 days. This change is projected to reduce annual losses caused by registration delays by roughly 370 billion won.

Finally, the two nations will transition from paper-based to electronic sanitary certificates for seafood. This digital system is expected to prevent document forgery, accelerate customs clearance, and save approximately 3 billion won annually in administrative and postage costs.