SEOUL – Over 1 million units of children’s products deemed to have sub-par safety standards were sold in South Korea last year:Over 1 million units of children’s products deemed to have sub-par safety standards were sold in South Korea last year, leading to numerous recall orders, as per recent government data. The troubling statistics reveal a significant oversight in quality control, particularly with low-cost imported goods.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the data received by the Democratic Party’s Representative Heo Jong-sik from the state-run Korean Agency for Technology and Standards indicated that approximately 1.07 million units spanning 122 different children’s products were subject to recall orders in 2023. This figure represents a 30 percent increase from the 828,299 units recalled in 2022. However, of the total products recalled last year, only 485,348 units, or 45.2 percent, were actually returned after being flagged as defective or dangerous.
The majority of the recalled products were identi
fied as inexpensive imports from China. This included all eight products that were flagged in a safety inspection conducted by the agency on toys and baby products in May, which were also found to be imports from China. Representative Heo emphasized the urgent need for the government to enhance safety management for defective and hazardous products and ensure the swift recall of those identified as dangerous.
The data highlights a critical issue in the supply chain and quality assurance processes that allow the distribution of unsafe children’s products in the market, stressing the need for tightened regulations and better enforcement of safety standards.