[For stakeholder's comment by 2026-10-02]

The purpose of this report is to assess the pest risks associated with importing fresh, aboveground parts of Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt (Brassicaceae), from the Republic of Korea into the United States for consumption. 

The pest risk assessment was developed in response to a market access request submitted by the Republic of Korea. We considered the pathway to include the following processes and conditions: plants are grown in open fields and in greenhouses and a minimum of the outer five to six leaves will be removed from the commodity at harvest. The pest risk ratings depend on the application of all conditions of the pathway as described in this document. As such, fresh Chinese cabbage produced under different conditions were not evaluated and may pose a different pest risk 

We used scientific literature, port-of-entry pest interception data, and information from the government of the Republic of Korea to develop a list of pests with quarantine significance for the entire United States. These are pests that occur in the Republic of Korea on any host and are associated with the commodity plant species anywhere in the world. Then we determined the likelihood of introduction for each pest that has a reasonable likelihood of being associated with the pathway. 

We found no organisms that met the threshold for unacceptable consequences of introduction and can follow the pathway. 

The detailed examination and choice of appropriate phytosanitary measures to mitigate pest risk are addressed in a separate document.