China largest exporter of illegal food products to S. Korea: lawmaker

SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Over 60 percent of unauthorized food imports
confiscated by South Korean customs officials for the past five years or so have
come from China, a South Korean lawmaker said Monday.
Citing government statistics, Choi Kyung-hwan of the ruling Grand National Party
said in a parliamentary report that 63.6 percent of 644.5 billion won worth of
illegal imports from 2003 to August this year came from China.
At 13.6 percent, the United States was the second largest source of illegal
imports which included pepper, beans and sea cucumbers. Russian imports stood at
3.5 percent, Choi said.
"Due to soft penalties, illegal food products continue to be imported," Choi said
in the report, insisting sterner measures be introduced.