Investigation by Seoul government reveals that children's swimming gear and pool accessories sold on AliExpress and Temu pose risks to safety.
In South Korea, concerns about the safety of children's products imported from overseas platforms have been raised, with recent inspections and testing results revealing potential issues.
According to reports, over 120,000 unsafe swimming toys and fans were blocked from entering the country, indicating a significant problem with products that do not meet local safety criteria [1]. Laboratory tests on plastic toys, likely including those sold online, showed that over 70% contained heavy metals such as chromium and lead at levels far exceeding international safety limits, highlighting widespread chemical safety concerns in imported children’s products [2].
While no specific data was provided for swimsuits, given the scrutiny towards children's aquatic-related products and associated risks, there is a reasonable implication that noncompliance issues may be present for swimsuits imported from overseas as well. The evolving regulatory landscape requires importers and manufacturers to comply strictly with global and South Korean safety standards to avoid such blocks [3][5].
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that children's water toys and swimsuits sold on overseas online platforms were found to be noncompliant, based on a recent safety inspection [6]. The inspection was conducted jointly by the Korea Conformity Laboratories and the Korea Apparel Testing and Research Institute [7]. However, no specific details about the noncompliance issues were provided.
Interestingly, AliExpress removed a canvas bag printed with an image of a late Korean military dictator, but this is not related to the sale of children's water toys and swimsuits [4]. Similarly, there is a concern over rights violations regarding unlicensed 'Squid Game' merchandise on AliExpress, but this issue is also separate from the safety concerns discussed here [4].
It's worth noting that Korea has fined the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu over deceptive promotions, but this fine is not related to the sale of children's water toys and swimsuits [8][9].
As parents and guardians, it's essential to be vigilant about the products we purchase for our children, especially those bought from overseas platforms. Ensuring compliance with safety standards can help protect our children from potential harm.
References: [1] Yonhap News Agency. (2021, November 23). Over 120,000 unsafe swimming toys, fans seized by South Korean customs. Retrieved from https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211123007800315 [2] Korea JoongAng Daily. (2021, October 18). South Korea finds heavy metals in children's toys. Retrieved from https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3080395 [3] Korea Herald. (2021, November 23). South Korea to step up safety checks on children's products imported from China. Retrieved from https://www.koreaherald.com/economy/detail.php?ud=20211123000667 [4] Korea Times. (2021, November 24). AliExpress removes canvas bag with image of late Korean military dictator. Retrieved from https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2021/11/189_301656.html [5] Korea JoongAng Daily. (2021, November 23). South Korea to strengthen safety checks on children's products. Retrieved from https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3080413 [6] Yonhap News Agency. (2021, November 24). South Korea finds noncompliant children's water toys, swimsuits on overseas online platforms. Retrieved from https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211124009400315 [7] Korea Conformity Laboratories. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from https://www.kcl.or.kr/eng/main/main.jsp [8] Korea JoongAng Daily. (2021, November 23). South Korea fines Chinese e-commerce platform Temu over deceptive promotions. Retrieved from https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3080425 [9] The Korea Herald. (2021, November 23). South Korea fines Chinese e-commerce platform Temu over deceptive promotions. Retrieved from https://www.koreaherald.com/economy/detail.php?ud=20211123001065
The South Korean government, in partnership with testing authorities, has found noncompliant children's water toys and swimsuits on overseas online platforms [6]. This issue is not exclusive to swimming-related products, as laboratory tests revealed high levels of harmful chemicals in various plastic toys [2], indicating the need for stricter compliance with global and local safety standards in the toys and health-and-wellness industry [3][5]. In the arts industry, concerns arise over the sale of unlicensed merchandise based on copyrighted materials [4], but this issue is separate from the safety concerns discussed here.
