Amid widespread shock following revelations that cabbages in China were distributed after being soaked in formaldehyde, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has released the results of a comprehensive inspection on Chinese cabbages circulating in South Korea.

The ministry announced that it collected and tested 82 items, including Chinese kimchi, fresh cabbages, and salted Napa cabbages currently distributed domestically, and found that no formaldehyde was detected in any of them.

This inspection targeted products from all manufacturing and packaging companies handling Chinese cabbage circulating within the country.

Furthermore, the ministry stated that after investigating the cabbage procurement regions of 55 Chinese kimchi manufacturing facilities exporting to South Korea, none of the cabbages came from Kangbao County in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, where formaldehyde was reportedly used.

Following enhanced inspection measures implemented for Chinese cabbages on August 24, the ministry has been testing for formaldehyde at the customs clearance stage, as well as conducting factory-by-factory inspections for kimchi and salted Napa cabbages.

Formaldehyde is a hazardous substance classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization, and is used for disinfection and biological tissue preservation.

Previously, it was revealed that formaldehyde was used in some rural areas of China to maintain the freshness of cabbages, prompting the Chinese government to launch a special investigation.

Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News