## 4 Conclusions  
In Korea, the price difference of soybeans is 3-5 times more or less than other countries, depending on the soybean origin. Due to the large price difference between domestic and imported soybeans, there is a good possibility that sellers will misrepresent the country of origin of the soybeans. Currently, the origin of soybeans is identified using physicochemical analysis methods such as NIR and XRF to prevent origin misrepresentation; however, because existing physicochemical methods involve the crushing and testing of large amounts of samples, there is a limitation to the extent to which the country of origin can be identified when domestic and imported soybeans are mixed. Consequently, sellers are taking advantage of this limitation and selling a mixture of soybeans from different origins. Therefore, we developed a gene-based analysis method that can identify the country of origin of soybeans on a grain-by-grain basis. In summary, the country-of-origin identification method developed with 11 InDel markers showed an efficiency of 95%, and the validation process of the country-of-origin identification table showed a prediction rate of 98.3%, confirming that the country-of-origin identification at the grain level has a high accuracy. Based on these results, the method developed in this study can be applied to identify the origin of soybeans, and, if combined with existing physicochemical methods, it is expected to prevent illegal acts including the misrepresentation of origin with a higher accuracy.  
Furthermore, genetically modified soybeans with herbicide resistance are currently cultivated in several countries, and the use of herbicides, such as glyphosate, safufenacil, and carfentrazone-ethyl, is rapidly increasing. Conversely, in Korea, the cultivation of genetically modified soybeans is prohibited, and the unintentional tolerance level is maintained below 3%. Therefore, by confirming the country of origin, it is possible to prevent the domestic distribution of genetically modified soybeans and mitigate exposure to harmful substances, such as herbicides [25; 26].  
Moreover, the genetics-based method for determining the origin of soybeans developed in this study can be applied in quality management during the food manufacturing process. In particular, it is expected to be applicable to intermediate stages (meju) or final products (soybean paste, natto, doenjang, gochujang, etc.) of fermented foods using soybeans.  
Conceptualization, Y.-H.K. and H.-M.P.; Methodology, N.-K.K.; Validation, M.-J.K.; Formal Analysis, B.-Y.K.; Investigation, J.K.; Writing--Original Draft Preparation, K.-C.J.; Supervision, H.-C.S. and T.-J.K.; Project Administration, H.-S.J. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, grant number NAQS-Origin-08.  
Data Availability Statement: Data is contained within the article.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.