The head of a meat processing company has been indicted and put on trial for making illicit gains of about 1 billion won by deceiving buyers regarding pork cuts supplied to schools and other facilities in the Jeju region over a period of six years.

According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Police and other authorities today (the 21st), CEO A of the meat processing company was arrested and indicted on charges including violations of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.

CEO A is accused of pocketing illegal profits by receiving orders for Jeju-produced pork front leg meat while secretly mixing in relatively cheaper hind leg meat.

It was revealed that from March 2020 to May of this year, CEO A supplied a total of 81 tons of processed pork products to some 190 locations including elementary schools, kindergartens, and hospitals across the province, of which 18 tons were hind leg meat falsely labeled and supplied as front leg meat.

Front leg pork has a darker color and contains mixed fat for a better texture, whereas hind leg meat is lighter in color and consists mostly of lean meat, selling at a lower price than front leg meat.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Police explained, "In the case of schools, bidding contracts were renewed every month, but because the meat was supplied after being chopped and processed, it was difficult to distinguish whether different cuts of pork had been mixed in."

The Jeju City government plans to issue an administrative disposition of business suspension against the company.

(Photo provided by Jeju Special Self-Governing Police단, Yonhap News)