Deputy Minister of Food and Drug Safety Park Jung-hoon (right) on Jan. 26 along with officials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, aT (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation) and the importer inspect the productization process of imported American eggs in Seobuk-gu District of Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do Province.

By Hong Angie

The nation's food safety management system has received the highest rating from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on April 13 reported a maximum score of five in food safety in the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) conducted by the WHO, the country's second straight perfect showing following the first in 2017.

A WHO team in late August last year visited the country for an in-depth review of 19 areas including food safety. Korea received perfect scores in two key areas of the category: surveillance of foodborne disease and contamination and response and management of food safety emergencies.

Among the 22 countries evaluated since 2024, only Korea and the U.S. have gotten a perfect score in both sections.

The team gave high marks to Korea's efficient cooperation system for food safety management among related ministries and local governments centered on the ministry, as well as its real-time monitoring and rapid response system including reporting and managing foodborne illnesses.

The ministry explained that the WHO hailed Korea's food safety management system as a global model with a solid legal and institutional foundation and reinforced by digital infrastructure, urging the country to help strengthen food safety capabilities worldwide.

shong9412@korea.kr