The South Korean government caused confusion after reversing its decision just three days after initially announcing a preliminary ban on direct overseas purchases of items such as toys and electronic products.
On May 19th, the government stated in a briefing about overseas direct purchases that “a complete ban on direct purchases is neither physically nor legally feasible,” essentially retracting its policy.
They further emphasized, “In conclusion, what we said about the preliminary and complete ban/blockage of direct overseas purchases of the 80 hazardous items is not true.”
On May 16th, the government announced a ban on the direct purchase of 80 overseas products that lacked KC certification, a unified national certification mark ensuring compliance with mandatory safety, health, environment, and quality standards.
KC certification is a unified national certification mark that standardizes various fields such as safety, health, environment, and quality, awarded to products that meet Korean safety standards. Obtaining this certification costs between hundreds to thousands of dollars and requires regular renewal, making it practically difficult for overseas companies to manage. As a result, the mandatory KC certification is often perceived as an effective ban on direct purchases.
Instead, the government plans to conduct a hazard investigation on the 80 imported items next month. This approach means that rather than imposing an immediate and complete ban on direct overseas purchases, the government will first assess the potential hazards of these items and then devise measures, such as blockages, based on the results. Direct overseas purchases will remain unrestricted before the hazard investigation or if the item is not among the specified ones. Additionally, if the investigation finds no harmful substances, the item will be excluded from the banned list.
For instance, you can still directly purchase strollers from international sites, but if a specific model of a stroller from a certain manufacturer is later deemed harmful to the human body by a government investigation, it will be blocked from direct purchase.
The government is also reconsidering the KC certification, which was the only safety standard it had put forth. They are considering reflecting safety standards from other countries. Kim Sang Mo, the Director of the Product Safety Policy Bureau at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said, “We proposed a plan to block products that did not receive KC certification through legislative amendments for the safety of direct purchases of 68 items in the Electrical and Household Goods Safety Act and the Children’s Product Safety Act.” He added, “KC certification is not the only method, so we will carefully review whether to amend the law after gathering various opinions.”
Amid this, South Korea’s SME producers have protested, citing fairness issues as the government has essentially withdrawn its plan to block direct purchases of products without KC certification. One online community user questioned, “Do foreign products only need to undergo the government’s arbitrary hazard investigation, while Korean products must mandatorily receive KC certification?” They added, “Are Korean SME producers the only ones being burdened?”
