Gov`t to toughen country-of-origin rules

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- The government will toughen country-of-origin rules to
secure fair trading by providing accurate product information to consumers,
officials said Thursday.
Under a law revision sought by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, both importers
and exporters will be required to label their products with where they were
produced. They will be banned from selling any goods without accurate
country-of-origin labeling.
Punishment for violators will be toughened as well. Those who ignore the rules
will be subject to up to five years imprisonment or 100 million won (US$80,000)
in fines, the ministry said. Currently, punishments cannot exceed 3 years in
prison or 30 million won in fines.
The move comes amid growing demand from the industry and consumer groups for
stronger country-of-origin regulations.
The ministry expected the tougher rules will help consumers be able to select
goods more easily.
According to the Korea Customs Service, the number of country-of-origin labeling
violations totaled 4,093 last year, up from 3,640 a year earlier.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)