South Korea in RASFF, 2020–2025
← All origin reports South Korea: border rejections, last 3 years →
South Korea was the origin of 80 of 25,645 EU food notifications in 2020–2025 (0.3%), ranking 51st of 160 origins. 26.2% concerned other food product / mixed; the most-cited hazard class was composition, and the most-cited substance iodine.
Food only (feed and food contact materials excluded), all notification types — border rejections, alerts and information notifications — validated 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025. Download every table (CSV).
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By year
| Year | Notifications | Share of EU total | Rank among origins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7 | 0.2% | 57 |
| 2021 | 15 | 0.4% | 42 |
| 2022 | 17 | 0.4% | 42 |
| 2023 | 13 | 0.3% | 54 |
| 2024 | 15 | 0.3% | 51 |
| 2025 | 13 | 0.3% | 61 |
| 2020–2025 | 80 | 0.3% | 51 |
Year links open that year's border rejections, entry by entry.
Tables below show each year 2020–2025; cells are shaded against their row's own peak. Change compares 2025 with 2020 and is shown only where 2020 had at least 10 notifications ("new" where it had none). RASFF Window's data starts on 23 January 2020.
By notification type
| Type | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border rejection border rejections → Stopped at the EU's external border; the consignment was not let in. |
1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 21 (26.2%) | — |
| Alert A serious risk in a product on the EU market, needing rapid action. |
5 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 27 (33.8%) | — |
| Information for attention A risk found, but the product is not on other members' markets, so they need not act rapidly. |
1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 (20.0%) | — |
| Information for follow-up A risk in a product on, or possibly on, other members' markets; follow-up needed, not rapid action. |
0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 16 (20.0%) | — |
How problems were found
| Found by | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official control on the market | 3 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 36 (45.0%) | — |
| At the EU border | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 30 (37.5%) | — |
| Company's own check | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 (8.8%) | — |
| Consumer complaint or illness | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 (6.2%) | — |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| Monitoring or surveillance sample | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
Did it reach the EU market?
Of the notifications whose record says either way, 72.4% concerned a product that had been placed on the market; the rest were stopped before it. RASFF records whether a product was on sale, not whether anyone bought it.
| Year | Reached the market | Stopped before | Not stated | Share reached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 83.3% |
| 2021 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 92.9% |
| 2022 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 47.1% |
| 2023 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 69.2% |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 71.4% |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 83.3% |
Distributed to
| Country | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 35 | — |
| France | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 21 | — |
| Netherlands | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 20 | — |
| Austria | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 17 | — |
| Belgium | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14 | — |
| Finland | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 14 | — |
| Spain | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 14 | — |
| Sweden | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 | — |
| Italy | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | — |
| Denmark | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | — |
What was done
A notification can record several actions; each is counted once per notification, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
| Action | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorities or operators informed | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 38 (47.5%) | — |
| Withdrawn from the market | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 33 (41.2%) | — |
| Detained or held under seal | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 18 (22.5%) | — |
| Recalled from consumers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 (17.5%) | — |
| Destroyed | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 (8.8%) | — |
| Not stated | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 (6.2%) | — |
| Re-dispatched | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 (5.0%) | — |
| Treated, relabelled or diverted | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 (2.5%) | — |
| Re-dispatched or destroyed | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (2.5%) | — |
Consumer recalls by year
| Year | Recalls | Share of notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | 28.6% |
| 2021 | 2 | 13.3% |
| 2022 | 2 | 11.8% |
| 2023 | 2 | 15.4% |
| 2024 | 3 | 20.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | 23.1% |
By food category
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Food Product / Mixed | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 21 (26.2%) | — |
| Prepared Dishes and Snacks border rejections → | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 (18.8%) | — |
| Fish and Fish Products | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 (12.5%) | — |
| Fruits and Vegetables | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 (12.5%) | — |
| Non-Alcoholic Beverages | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 (8.8%) | — |
| Cereals and Bakery Products | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 (6.2%) | — |
| Dietetic Foods, Food Supplements and Fortified Foods | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 (6.2%) | — |
| Soups, Broths, Sauces and Condiments | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 (5.0%) | — |
| Bivalve Molluscs and Products Thereof | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| Confectionery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (1.2%) | new |
By hazard class
A notification citing hazards of two classes counts once in each, so rows can add up to more than the total.
| Hazard class | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 20 (25.0%) | — |
| Pesticide residues | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 (20.0%) | — |
| Metals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (3.8%) | — |
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (3.8%) | — |
| Allergens | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (2.5%) | — |
| Faulty labelling or claims | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 (2.5%) | — |
| Microbial contaminants (other) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 (2.5%) | — |
| Novel food | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 (2.5%) | — |
| Biological contaminants | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| Environmental pollutants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (1.2%) | new |
| Food additives and flavourings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (1.2%) | new |
| Genetically modified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| Outbreak/poisoning investigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| No hazard recorded | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 29 (36.2%) | — |
By risk level
| Risk decision | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious | 6 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 39 (48.8%) | — |
| Potentially serious | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 (5.0%) | — |
| Potential risk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 11 (13.8%) | — |
| Not serious | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 15 (18.8%) | — |
| No risk | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1.2%) | — |
| Undecided | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 (12.5%) | — |
Most-cited substances
Labels RASFF records for one substance are merged (e.g. chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-ethyl); chemically distinct compounds stay apart.
Pesticide residues
| Substance | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ethylene oxide Prepared Dishes and Snacks |
0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | — |
| chlorpyrifos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| dinotefuran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | new |
| iprodione Prepared Dishes and Snacks |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
Other hazards
| Substance | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iodine Prepared Dishes and Snacks |
2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 16 | — |
| mercury | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| listeria monocytogenes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| novel food ingredient | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — |
| allergic reaction Prepared Dishes and Snacks |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| capsaicin Prepared Dishes and Snacks |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| E 621 - monosodium glutamate Prepared Dishes and Snacks |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | new |
| histamine | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| ingredient | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| labelling | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
By month
Pooled across 2020–2025. Each row is shaded against its own peak, so its season shows whatever its size. Border rejections peak in February; Alerts peak in December; Information notifications peak in December.
By notification type
| Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border rejections | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | February |
| Alerts | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | December |
| Information notifications | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | December |
By hazard class
| Hazard class | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | December |
| Pesticide residues | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | February |
| Metals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | September |
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | January |
| Allergens | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February |
Notifying member states
| Member state | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 24 | — |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 10 | — |
| Spain | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — |
| Italy | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — |
| Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — |
| Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — |
| Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | — |
| Finland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — |
| France | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | — |
Method
Source: RASFF Window, the European Commission's public notification database; every food notification validated in 2020–2025.
A notification naming several origins counts once for each, so origin shares can add up to more than 100%. RASFF records this origin as South Korea and Korea, Republic of; both are counted here.
Hazard classes are the ones RASFF attaches to each hazard. A hazard without a class is "unclassified"; a notification exported without any hazard is "no hazard recorded".
Counts describe what EU authorities found and reported. They depend on how often each product is checked, so they are not a rate of unsafe food.
Licence: CC-BY-4.0. Cite as "South Korea food safety record, 2020–2025: EU RASFF", RASFF Trends, 2026-11-07, https://rasff.fruit-risk.com/reports/south-korea.html.
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