Data as of: Korean laws and MFDS notices checked on law.go.kr on October 14, 2026.
Korea food labeling requirements for imported seafood come from three rule sets, as of October 2026: a Korean-language label under the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, an origin mark under the Foreign Trade Act, and post-customs traceability reports for 27 items. The Korean importer is the legal labeler. The exporter prints the origin and supplies label data.
Key takeaways
- Under Korea’s Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, the registered Korean importer is the party legally responsible for the Korean label on imported seafood (Enforcement Rule, Article 4, as of October 2026).
- Korea’s Foreign Trade Management Regulation lists every HS heading from 0301 to 0309, plus 1604 and 1605, as goods that must carry a country-of-origin mark on import (Annex 8, checked October 2026).
- A Korean sticker on imported seafood is legal if it cannot fall off and does not cover the original product name or dates (MFDS Labeling Standards for Food, as of October 2026).
- Korea’s net weight rule for glazed seafood requires the weight without the ice glaze (MFDS Labeling Standards for Food, as of October 2026).
- False origin labeling of seafood in Korea carries up to 7 years in prison or a fine of up to KRW 100 million (Origin Labeling Act, Article 14, as of October 2026).
Who does what, and when?
Most of the work happens before cartons are printed. The importer owns the label in law but needs your product data to write it.
| Step | Who | What | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Agree the Korean label text | Importer writes it; exporter supplies product name, species, net weight, dates, storage, plant name | Draft Korean label | Before production |
| 2. Print the origin mark | Exporter | “Product of [country]” or equivalent on each carton and retail pack | When packaging is printed |
| 3. Apply the Korean label | Exporter at the plant, or importer in a Korean bonded warehouse with customs approval | Printed Korean text or a firmly attached sticker | Before the MFDS import declaration |
| 4. Import declaration and inspection | Importer files; MFDS checks the label; customs checks the origin mark | Labeled packaging or label text, color photos | On arrival |
| 5. Origin labeling in distribution and traceability reports | Importer and every distributor | Origin shown at sale; transfer reports for 27 listed items | After customs clearance |
Source: Enforcement Rule of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control, Article 27; Customs Act, Article 230; Notice on Bonded Cargo Management, Articles 20–22; MOF press release, June 2026. Checked October 14, 2026.
What must a Korean label on imported seafood include?
The answer depends on whether MFDS treats your product as natural-state seafood or as processed seafood. Whole, gutted, frozen or chilled fish and shellfish fall under the shorter “natural-state” list. Surimi products, salted and fermented seafood, dried seafood and other processed products need the full list.
| Item on the Korean label | Natural-state seafood (e.g., frozen whole mackerel) | Processed seafood (e.g., surimi, dried squid) | Data the exporter supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product or content name | Yes | Yes | Species and product name |
| Food type | No | Yes | Process description |
| Business name | Importer’s name | Importer’s name and address, plus the manufacturer | Plant name |
| Date | Production (catch) date or packing date | Use-by date | Production or catch date, shelf life |
| Net content | Yes | Yes, with calories | Net weight without glaze |
| Ingredients | No | Yes, with nutrition facts | Full recipe and percentages |
| Storage method and cautions | Where relevant | Yes, including allergens | Storage temperature |
Source: MFDS Labeling Standards for Food, Chapter III.1 (natural-state foods and processed seafood), as published in Notice No. 2026-37, checked October 14, 2026.
Natural-state seafood does not have to show a use-by date. If your carton already shows one, the Korean label must follow the Korean date format and must not change it. Korea moved processed foods from a sell-by date to a use-by date (sobi gihan) for products shipped from January 1, 2023.
Four detailed rules cause most of the rework.
- Names. Seafood names must follow the names in Korea’s Food Code (Sikpum Gongjeon) or a widely used market name. Croakers are the exception: they must use the Food Code name. The Korean product name is a transliteration or translation of your product name. See how Korean buyers name and specify seafood.
- Net weight. Glazed or ice-packed seafood must state the weight without the ice.
- Dates. If your date format differs from Korea’s year-month-day order, the label must show an example of the order. If your country does not require a shelf life, the importer sets one from your evidence.
- Type size. Korean text must be at least 10 point and indelible. For imported food, foreign-language text may be larger than the Korean text.
Two exceptions help exporters of raw material. Natural-state seafood imported loose, without containers or packaging, can skip the Korean label. A Korean processor importing fish for its own factory needs only a short list, and that list can be in English.
Who applies the Korean label, and can it be a sticker?
The importer is responsible, and a sticker is allowed in most seafood cases. Korea’s Enforcement Rule names the import-sales business as the labeling party. The foreign plant is not on that list.
The MFDS Labeling Standards for Food allow a Korean sticker, label or tag on imported food that is also sold in the exporting country. The sticker must not fall off and must not cover the original product name or dates. Stickers are also allowed on natural-state seafood and on raw material supplied to food factories. If you print Korean directly on the packaging, it must be printed or stamped, not stuck on. For a processed retail product made only for Korea, ask your importer whether a sticker is acceptable.
The label has to exist by the time the importer files with MFDS. The declaration requires the labeled packaging or a document with the Korean label text, plus color photos showing both the Korean and the original labels. MFDS inspectors also check labeling during on-site inspection (how Korean import inspection works).
That leaves two places to apply stickers. Your plant can apply them before loading, using the importer’s approved artwork. The importer can apply them in a Korean bonded warehouse as “repair work” approved by customs, which Korea’s Notice on Bonded Cargo Management allows for labeling and origin marking.
How should country of origin appear on seafood cartons?
Print the origin on every carton and retail pack, in English or Korean, at the production stage. Two laws apply at two different points.
| Customs stage | Distribution stage | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Foreign Trade Act, Article 33; Foreign Trade Management Regulation | Act on the Origin Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products |
| Who enforces | Korea Customs Service at clearance | NFQS, local governments, KCS |
| Who must mark | The importer, on the goods or packaging | The importer, distributors and retailers selling or storing for sale |
| What it requires | HS 0301–0309, 1604 and 1605 carry an origin mark | Origin stays visible through sale; imported seafood uses the Foreign Trade Act origin |
| Penalty | Clearance refused; penalty surcharge of up to KRW 300 million | Up to 7 years or KRW 100 million for false labeling; fine of up to KRW 10 million for no label |
Source: Foreign Trade Act, Articles 33 and 33-2; Foreign Trade Management Regulation, Articles 75–76 and Annex 8; Origin Labeling Act, Articles 5, 14 and 18; Customs Act, Article 230. Checked October 14, 2026.
The two laws connect. Imported seafood must show the origin as defined by the Foreign Trade Act, and a correct Foreign Trade Act mark counts as an origin mark under the Origin Labeling Act. One mark, done right, covers both.
Accepted forms include “Product of [country]”, “Made in [country]” and “Country of Origin: [country]”. The mark must be legible, easy to find and hard to remove. The regulation prefers marks printed during manufacture; stickers and tags are for packaging where printing is impractical.
Origin for fish follows the catch. Fish caught in a country’s waters takes that country’s origin; fish caught on the high seas takes the flag of the vessel. Freezing, cleaning, sorting and simple cutting in another country do not change the origin.
If a brand name or language on your pack points to another country, put the origin on the front panel. When the importer repacks into retail units, the repacker must mark the origin again on the new pack.
Fish imported directly by a Korean factory for substantial processing can be exempt from the origin mark. Do not assume it applies; customs can check how the goods were used. If you are unsure how to mark a product, the importer can ask Korea Customs Service to confirm the method before import, and KCS answers within 30 days.
Which seafood falls under Korea’s traceability reporting?
Traceability reporting is the importer’s job, but it starts from your documents. Since June 29, 2026, Korea’s imported seafood distribution-history system covers 27 items. The five added items are frozen mackerel, frozen hairtail, frozen pollock, frozen squid and chilled squid.
Each importer and distributor must report the transfer within 5 days. Missing or false reports carry fines of up to KRW 5 million, under the Act on the Management and Support of Fishery Product Distribution, according to NFQS.
You file nothing. Your product name, origin and lot data on the invoice and carton become the importer’s report data, so keep them identical across documents. Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has also announced a catch certification scheme for imported seafood; no start date was confirmed as of October 2026.
What labeling mistakes cause problems at the Korean border?
Most labeling problems are mismatches, not missing items. Customs refuses clearance when the origin mark is missing, wrong or not in the required form. Minor errors can be corrected before clearance, usually in the bonded warehouse at the importer’s cost.
| Mistake | What happens | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| No origin on inner retail packs | Customs asks for correction before clearance | Print origin on every pack sold to consumers |
| Species name on label differs from the health certificate and invoice | Questions at document review or on-site inspection | One product name list shared with the importer |
| Net weight includes the glaze | Label breaches the net content rule | Declare glaze separately, state net weight without ice |
| Sticker covers the original name or date | Label breaches the sticker rule | Leave a blank panel on the carton for the sticker |
| Date format unclear (e.g., 03/04/26) | Inspector cannot read the date | Use year-month-day or print an example |
Source: Customs Act, Article 230; MFDS Labeling Standards for Food, Chapter II.1 and Annex 1. Checked October 14, 2026.
Health certificate and plant registration issues are covered in MFDS foreign food facility registration, and the full export sequence is in how to export seafood to Korea. Origin also decides your tariff; see Korea’s seafood import duty by species and FTA.
Pre-shipment labeling checklist
- The importer has sent you approved Korean label text or artwork.
- The Korean product name and species name match the health certificate, invoice and packing list.
- “Product of [country]” is printed on every carton and every retail pack.
- Net weight on the carton excludes the ice glaze.
- Production or catch date and any shelf life use an unambiguous format.
- Each carton has a blank panel for a Korean sticker that will not cover your own name or date.
- You and the importer have agreed who applies the sticker: your plant or a Korean bonded warehouse.
- Lot numbers on cartons match the invoice, for the importer’s traceability reports.
These rules were checked on October 14, 2026. Labeling notices change often, so confirm the final label with your Korean importer, a licensed Korean customs broker or MFDS before you print packaging. A first-time buyer will check how well you handle these details (what Korean importers look for).
Check which origins already supply your product to Korea
A correct label gets your cartons through inspection; it does not tell you whether Korea buys your product. SEACHING, a Korea seafood trade data platform operated by LINKSUP, Inc. in Busan, shows Korea’s imports by 10-digit HS code, including the newly listed traceability items: frozen mackerel imports into Korea, frozen pollock imports and frozen squid imports (free sign-up).
Labels get your cartons through inspection; data gets you the order. Check which origins already supply your product to Korea and at what price range. Start with SEACHING’s product data (free sign-up)
FAQ
Can I ship seafood to Korea with an English-only label?
Yes, if a Korean label is applied before the importer files the MFDS import declaration. The importer can apply a Korean sticker in a Korean bonded warehouse with customs approval. The origin mark itself can be in English, such as “Product of Norway”, as of October 2026.
Does frozen fish sold to a Korean food factory need a consumer label?
Not the full one. Seafood imported by a Korean processor for its own production needs only a short list, which can be in English. Seafood supplied by an importer to a factory as raw material needs a reduced Korean label, under the Enforcement Rule of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, Annex 1.
What happens if the origin on my carton does not match the documents?
Korea Customs Service will not clear goods whose origin mark is wrong or missing, under Customs Act Article 230. Minor errors can be fixed in the bonded warehouse before clearance. A deliberately false origin is a criminal offense under the Origin Labeling Act.
Is a catch certificate required for seafood imports to Korea?
Not yet, as of October 2026. Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has announced a catch certification scheme for imported seafood, but no start date or species list was confirmed. Check with your importer before each season.
Sources and method
- Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, Articles 2–4, version in force from September 19, 2025, checked October 14, 2026
- Enforcement Rule of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, Article 4 and Annexes 1 and 3, version of December 30, 2024, checked October 14, 2026
- MFDS Labeling Standards for Food, Notice No. 2026-37 (May 12, 2026), Chapters II.1 and III.1 and Annex 1, checked October 14, 2026
- Enforcement Rule of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control, Article 27 and Form 25, version of September 30, 2026, checked October 14, 2026
- Enforcement Rule of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control, Annex 9 (as amended June 9, 2023)
- Act on the Origin Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products, Articles 5, 6, 14 and 18, and Enforcement Decree Annex 1, checked October 14, 2026
- Foreign Trade Act, Articles 33 and 33-2, version of October 1, 2025, checked October 14, 2026
- Foreign Trade Management Regulation, Notice No. 2024-43, Articles 75–85 and Annex 8, checked October 14, 2026
- Customs Act, Articles 158, 230 and 230-2, version of October 2, 2026, checked October 14, 2026
- Korea Customs Service, Notice on Bonded Cargo Management, Notice No. 2026-12, Articles 20–22, checked October 14, 2026
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, press release on imported seafood distribution history, June 7, 2026
- NFQS, imported seafood distribution history guide, checked October 1, 2026
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, press release on the planned catch certification scheme, December 23, 2025
- Method: Rules were read in the original Korean texts on the National Law Information Center (law.go.kr). English law names are descriptive translations. This article covers seafood imported into Korea; it is not legal advice. Confirm the final label with your Korean importer, a licensed Korean customs broker or MFDS.
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