The Cambodian embassy in South Korea has confirmed that “Romdoul” brand mangoes currently being sold in South Korea are authentic Cambodian products and are not Thai products rebranded to deceive consumers.
In a press release issued on May 20, the embassy noted that there had been debates on social media regarding suspicions that Thai mangoes were being labelled with the Cambodian brand for sale in Korea.
“Mangoes sold under the Romdoul brand in South Korea are 100% of Cambodian origin. They are imported and distributed by Hyundai Agro (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of South Korea’s international Hyundai Corporation, which has invested in Cambodia,” said the embassy.
It explained how, following the suspicions raised on social media, it dispatched a commercial attaché to investigate and visit the marts where the mangoes were being sold.
While the fruit are indeed Cambodian, the mart owners admitted that in the past, they had mistakenly placed Cambodian origin labels on Thai mangoes. However, they stated that this error has since been corrected.
According to the embassy, the commercial attaché advised mart owners to be cautious and avoid falsifying the country of origin as Cambodian, as such actions could lead to legal measures.
The embassy called on all vendors and distributors to avoid misrepresenting the origin of goods, particularly claiming them as Cambodian products. Citizens who witness or suspect cases of brand or origin falsification are encouraged to report to the embassy for investigation and further action.