The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that tests on 82 samples of commercially distributed Chinese kimchi, fresh cabbage, and salted cabbage showed no detection of formaldehyde in any of them.

The items tested by the ministry comprised 50 cases of kimchi, 29 cases of fresh cabbage, and 3 cases of salted cabbage.

The ministry explained that the inspections were conducted on products from all Chinese cabbage manufacturing and packaging companies whose goods are distributed in South Korea.

The ministry also stated that an investigation into the cabbage-sourcing regions of 55 Chinese kimchi manufacturers exporting to South Korea revealed that none of the cabbage was cultivated in Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, where formaldehyde was used.

These manufacturing facilities are certified under the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

Since October 2024, kimchi imported into South Korea has been restricted exclusively to products manufactured by HACCP-certified facilities.

Formaldehyde is a hazardous substance classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency under the World Health Organization.

Previously, it was revealed that formaldehyde had been used to maintain the freshness of cabbages in certain rural areas of Hebei Province, China, prompting the Chinese central government to launch a special investigation.