Government rescinds ban on overseas direct purchase products without KC certification in 3 days

Lee Jung-won, second vice president of the National Security Council, gives a briefing on Sept. 19. By Jeong Jung Yoon

The government said on May 19 that it will “focus on post-management, such as safety inspections, and block the importation of direct purchase products from overseas into Korea only if hazards are confirmed.” This just comes three days after the government announced a de facto ban on overseas direct purchases of products that have not received the KC safety certification, a domestic product certification that proves the compliance of items with Korean safety regulations. The move was a step back amid backlash over excessive infringement on consumer rights, and criticism has been raised that the hasty announcement and reversal of the policy has led to consumer confusion and reduced policy credibility.
"It is not true that 80 items of direct overseas purchases are prohibited in advance," said Lee Jung-won, deputy secretary of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, at a briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul. "There is no reason to prevent direct purchases of products from overseas that are not dangerous."

“The government is trying to strengthen the existing safety inspections on hazardous products as concerns about the dangers of products directly purchased from overseas, including children's items, are growing," Lee said. "There are tens of thousands of school supplies (included in the measure). It is not realistic to block all of them at once, and we have not considered it.” The intention is to block only those products that have been confirmed to contain harmful substances through existing hazard tests, not to expand the ban to all items.

In response to growing safety concerns, including the detection of carcinogens in baby products sold by AliExpress and Temu, the government came up with a measure to block direct overseas purchases of some products without KC certification on May 16. The government said it will implement the ban in June based on the Customs Act and will push for a revision of the law in the future. However, the move was met with backlash from consumers who argued that it unduly infringed on their right to choose to buy cheap products from abroad in an era of high inflation, and controversy spread as politicians also joined the criticism. As the government eventually scrapped its policy, overseas direct purchases became possible without restrictions as before, but the safety issue of overseas ultra-low-priced products, where harmful substances, such as heavy metals, are excessively detected, remains unresolved.

“KC certification is not the only alternative, and we will reconsider whether or not to amend the law based on the opinions raised,” Lee said, adding, “We apologize for the confusion caused to the public.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.