South Korean lawmaker calls for soybean import diversification after high GMO detection in U.S. crops

Data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) reveals that 99.5% of American soybeans imported into South Korea over the last decade contained Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) components. Out of 402 import cases from the United States, 400 were found to contain GMOs.

In comparison, Canadian soybeans showed a 57.8% detection rate, while imports from China and Russia showed zero GMO detection. Representative Song Ok-ju noted that the current reliance on U.S. soybeans is driven by a lowest-bidder procurement system, as American soybeans are approximately 40% cheaper per ton than Chinese varieties.

To address these concerns, Song is proposing several policy reforms, including diversifying import sources, lowering the threshold for unintentional GMO mixing from 3% to 0.9% (aligning with European Union standards), and implementing a quality history evaluation system by country. She also intends to demand stricter pre-shipment inspections for non-GMO contracts and increased budget allocations to expand the use of domestic soybeans.