"100% Domestic Black Goat"?... Up to 200 Million Won Reward for Reporting

[Anchor]

With the consumption of dog meat set to be banned starting next year, the consumption of goat meat as a summer health food has increased significantly. However, a crackdown on goat meat restaurants by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the summer season has revealed that some businesses were selling cheaper Australian goat meat while claiming it was domestic.

Reporter Yun Nara has the story.

[Reporter]

Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Special Judicial Police Bureau have launched a crackdown on businesses that cook and sell goat meat.

The inspection was initiated to check the labeling of the country of origin as the consumption of goat meat as a health food has risen following the upcoming ban on dog meat consumption, which takes effect in February next year.

Out of 132 goat meat restaurants and retailers inspected, 10 businesses were caught for falsely labeling the country of origin or labeling it in a way that could confuse customers between domestic and imported meat.

One business was found to have displayed "100% Domestic Black Goat" at the entrance, while the menu inside stated that Australian meat was mixed in. Another business was caught after labeling the origin of its black goat as a mix of Australian and domestic, when in fact, it was using only the cheaper Australian meat.

Domestic goat meat consumption increased by 97% over three years, from 6,600 tons in 2021 to 13,000 tons in 2024. During the same period, imports also rose by 332%, from 1,883 tons to 8,143 tons.

As the consumption of goat meat grows, businesses are emerging that sell cheaper imported meat while claiming it is domestic.

False or misleading labeling of the country of origin is punishable by up to 7 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won. Failure to label the origin can result in a fine of up to 10 million won.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to refer 5 of the businesses caught in this crackdown to the prosecution and impose fines on the other 5.

[Interview] Kang Hee-eun / Head of Economic Investigation Division, Seoul Special Judicial Police Bureau: "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue to strictly investigate violations of country-of-origin labeling to do our best in creating a healthy dining environment that citizens can trust."

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated that reports and interest from citizens are crucial to eradicating illegal labeling of the country of origin and requested active reporting.

A reward of up to 200 million won will be provided to informants who offer decisive evidence.

(Video Editing: Jung Seong-hun, Video courtesy of Seoul Special Judicial Police Bureau)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.