South Korea apologizes over tainted egg scandal

South Korea Friday issued an official apology as 49 egg farms were confirmed to have used illegal insecticides, echoing a similar scandal in Europe.

The government had ordered an investigation after three farms were initially revealed to have been affected on Tuesday -- the number soared following inspections of 1,239 farms across the country.

Traces of the potentially harmful fipronil, flufenoxuron, etoxazole and pyridaben were among the substances discovered despite being banned. Sufficient exposure to the chemicals can cause organ damage in humans.

"I sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience and concerns," Agriculture Minister Kim Yung-rok told reporters according to Yonhap News Agency.

But Kim also insisted eggs now in circulation are safe for eating in the country that consumes an estimated 43 million every day.

The South had already been suffering from price hike of eggs due to a supply shortage after the authorities culled tens of millions of birds since an outbreak of avian influenza late last year.