MFDS Conducts Inspections to Prevent Food Poisoning during APEC 2025 Korea

Minister Oh Yu-kyoung of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

Minister Oh Yu-kyoung of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) toured Lahan Select and Hilton Hotel, major food and beverage facilities in Gyeongju, to successfully host the APEC 2025 Korea on Oct. 23 and conducted an inspection of food and beverage safety management, along with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.

MFDS Minister Oh urged cooking facility officials to ensure thorough hygiene and safety management.

The inspection was designed to supply safe and hygienic food and beverages to participants of the APEC 2025 Korea and prevent food poisoning.

Minster Oh examined cleaning and temperature management conditions of food material storage, kitchen hygiene management, and the cooking and transportation process. and they also inspected fast food poisoning testing vehicles posted around the venues.

The fast-food poisoning testing vehicles are outfitted with equipment capable of testing for 17 kinds of food poisoning and norovirus within four hours. Seven such vehicles are in place.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Minister Oh Yu-kyoung of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety tour Lahan Select and Hilton Hotel, the venues of the APEC 2025 Korea, and conduct an inspection into food & beverage safety management on Oct. 23. (Photos: MFDS)

MFDS has so far utilized the vehicles at major international events. The ministry achieved “food poisoning zero” during the three APEC Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOM) that took place recently, said Dir. Gen. Kim Seong-gon of the Food Safety Bureau at MFDS.

The ministry plans to provide full support to successfully host the event by operating a tightly-knitted food safety management regime.

Dir. Gen. Kim said MFDS conducted awareness drives to prevent food poisoning prior to APEC 2025 Korea, such as pre-hygiene check-ups, educating cooking officials, general inspecting and test-eating food during the APEC Senior Officials’ Meetings.

MFDS Participates in APEC RHSC and Announces GHC Outcomes

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety participated in the General Meeting of the Regulatory Harmonization Steering Committee (RHSC) during APEC 2025 SOM3 that took place for tow days from July 31 and announced regulatory harmonization outcomes in the medical product sector in cooperation with the Global Harmonization Center (GHC) and discussed ways of promoting regulatory harmonization in the Asia-Pacific region.

RHSC is a steering committee designed to spread international guidelines and exemplary practices in the APEC region with APEC member country health authorities and industry representatives participating as committee members.

The Global Harmonization Center (GHC) is an international training institution dedicated to regulatory harmonization.Established in January 2025 under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea, GHC plans and operates training programs to strengthen regulatory capacity in the field of medicinal products.

Building on the accomplishments of the former APEC Harmonization Center (AHC), GHC collaborates with regulatory authorities, industry, academia, and international organizations.

GHC operates as the secretariat within the Pre-submission & Consultation Division of the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS), MFDS.

The secretariat is supported by an advisory group composed of domestic and international regulatory experts who provide guidance on the development of training content and strategic planning.