[Press Release, July 22, 2020/ unofficial translation] Food Safety National Certification System to Be Launched to Support Food Exports - A briefing will be held on July 22 to select companies participating in the pilot project - □ The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS; Minister Eui-kyung Lee) announced that it is pursuing the “Food Safety National Certification System,” through which the government certifies the safety of exported foods, as part of its active support for Korean food exports. ○ The main contents of the national certification system are ▲addressing difficulties faced by exporters through customized consultation on regulations such as applicable food standards by importing country and regulatory compliance testing; ▲supporting expedited customs clearance by securing the equivalence of inspection reports between the importing and exporting countries; and ▲supporting Korean companies that enter the global retail industry by establishing an internationally-recognized Korean food safety management certification system. - First, consultation customized for each company provides the information on the regulations of the importing country regarding some of the most complicated issues in food export such as factory registration, food labe ling, safety standards, and customs clearance. - In addition, to ensure that exported products can be swiftly cleared without additional safety inspections in the importing country, a designated testing agency in Korea will conduct a regulatory compliance test, and the results will be certified by the country. - We also plan to secure international equivalence by introducing the Korean food safety management certification system that meets the standards of the HACCP-based quality management system required by global retailers in an effort to help Korean companies advance into overseas markets. □ Meanwhile, the MFDS will hold a briefing on the launch of the National Food Safety Certification System on July 22 at the Seoul Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety (located in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul). ○ At the briefing, we will introduce the Food Safety National Certification System to 19 small and medium-sized food companies selected for the Brand K project* and receive applications for participation in the pilot project. * Brand K project: Joint consumer brand support for promising SMEs that seek to enter the global market - The companies participating in the pilot project will receive customized consultation on regulations and regulatory compliance testing in three countries(US, China, and Vietnam). □ The MFDS said that the “Food Safety National Certification System” is expected to become a new growth engine for the food industry and that the MFDS will continue to make various policy efforts to ensure food safety as well as to invigorate the food industry.