Korea's health authorities said Thursday they have decided to order a recall of Nongshim Co.'s instant noodle products found to contain a carcinogen amid growing concerns about public health.



The recall could affect six "ramyeon" brands by Nongshim, the country largest instant noodle maker, including Neoguri, bowl-type Neoguri and Sang Sang Noodle, which were found to contain benzopyrene.



"We have decided to issue a recall order for all of Nongshim ramyeon products that used materials that were determined to be inappropriate in terms of benzopyrene," said an official of the Korea Food and Drug Administration. "Details on the extent of recall are under discussion."



The move comes days after reports surfaced that those products used materials that contained benzopyrene, which can cause health hazards when ingested. It is known to cause stomach and lung cancer or birth defects if consumed for a long period.



According to tests by the KFDA last June, some of the products were found to contain as high as 4.7 parts per billion (ppb) in their soup.



The KFDA earlier said the amount of benzopyrene contained in the products was minuscule and would not cause health problems.



Nongshim also said its products were safe to consume and that it already destroyed all the raw materials in question.



Shares of Nongshim closed at 253,000 won (US$230.4) on the main bourse, down 4.89 percent from the previous day.



Nongshim controls the vast majority of South Korea's instant noodle market, with a market share of 68.1 percent last year. (Yonhap)