Pork from ASF Countries into Korea 2026: Declare It or Risk a 10-Million-Won Fine

Bottom line: If you're arriving in Korea from a country with African Swine Fever (ASF) and you're carrying pork or pork-based processed foods - ham, sausage, jerky, bacon, and the like - you have to declare it at the quarantine desk in the arrival hall. Declare it, and in most cases the item is simply confiscated and disposed of on the spot. Don't, and get caught, and you'll face a fine.

If you didn't know: Fines for an undeclared item start at 5 million won for a first offense, rise to 7.5 million for a second, and hit 10 million won for a third - a standard in effect since June 1, 2019, up to ten times heavier than the old range of 100,000 to 1 million won. Tuck away "just one leftover sausage from the in-flight meal" thinking it's harmless, get flagged by a quarantine detection dog, and that souvenir bag of jerky can turn into a fine running into the millions of won.

It's not unusual to see a quarantine detection dog working the baggage carousel at Incheon Airport, sniffing out banned agricultural and livestock products. African Swine Fever doesn't infect humans, but it's lethal to pigs and still has no vaccine - if it ever got loose domestically, Korea's entire pork industry would take a serious hit. That's why the government sharply raised the fines starting in 2019: get caught bringing in undeclared items now, and the penalty can run up to ten times what it used to be. Do the opposite - declare honestly on the form handed out in-flight, or simply tell the officer at the quarantine desk - and in most cases only the item itself gets disposed of, nothing more. Declaring costs far less than a fine. Which countries currently count as ASF-affected changes over time, so it's safer to check the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency's notices (qia.go.kr) again before you fly.

Journey stage: ② First hour · Verified 2026-10-29