Food Issues and Safety Management in the Age of Globalization

After détente and establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Korea’s economy continued growing, but the agricultural sector contracted due to the opening of the agricultural market, and the food self-sufficiency rate fell sharply. During the International Monetary Fund (IMF) financial crisis, Korean seed companies were sold to foreign companies. In the process of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, agriculture shrank and lost competitiveness as a victim of negotiations. People’s dissatisfaction exploded due to unreasonable beef negotiations between Korea and the US. Anti-government protests triggered by the mad cow frenzy in 2008 threatened the regime’s existence. The government established the Korea Food and Drug Administration and prepared a framework for scientific food safety management. Korea’s food industry has strengthened its constitution by striving to survive in international competition, even under difficult conditions.