Caution Needed When Buying Products Online – 1,915 Hazardous Items Blocked on AliExpress and Temu
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (Chairman Han Ki-jeong, hereafter referred to as "KFTC") and the Korea Consumer Agency (President Yoon Soo-hyun, hereafter referred to as "KCA") have analyzed cases of hazardous products blocked on international online platforms AliExpress and Temu. The findings show a high number of blocked hazardous items in categories such as "electronics and electronic devices" and "children’s and infant products."
As cross-border shopping demand is expected to surge during large-scale sales events like Black Friday and Boxing Day*, the KFTC and KCA urge consumers to exercise particular caution when purchasing products through international online shopping.
* Major international sales periods: Black Friday (U.S., November 29), Boxing Day (U.K., December 26), etc.
To prevent the distribution of hazardous products in Korea via international online platforms, the KFTC signed a "Voluntary Product Safety Agreement" with AliExpress and Temu on May 13. Under this agreement:
- Products confirmed to be hazardous based on government safety inspections, and
- Products recalled overseas are immediately blocked from being sold.
By October 31, the government had taken action to block the sale of a total of 1,915 hazardous items:
- 748 items confirmed hazardous through safety inspections.
- 1,167 items linked to overseas recalls.
Breakdown by Product Category
Among the blocked products, "electronics and telecommunications devices" accounted for the largest share at 631 cases (33.0%), followed by "children’s and infant products" with 588 cases (30.7%), and "accessories" at 293 cases (15.3%).
The main causes for blocking included:
- For electronics and telecommunications devices (631 cases):
- Presence of hazardous substances (e.g., lead, cadmium): 359 cases (56.9%)
- Risk of electric shock: 132 cases (20.9%)
- Explosions, overheating, or fire hazards: 84 cases (13.3%)
- For children's and infant products (588 cases):
- Presence of hazardous substances: 281 cases (47.8%)
- Detachable small parts and choking hazards: 238 cases (40.5%)
- For accessories (293 cases):
- All blocked cases involved hazardous substances.
Government safety inspection results and overseas recall information can be checked on the KFTC’s Consumer24 platform (www.consumer.go.kr) or the KCA’s Consumer Injury Surveillance System (www.ciss.go.kr).
Strengthened Monitoring Efforts
With the ongoing influx of hazardous products through cross-border shopping, the KFTC and KCA plan to strengthen monitoring and inspection of overseas products. Through the International Hazardous Product Management Working Group, comprised of various government agencies*, safety investigations and targeted inspections of cross-border shopping products will be intensified.
* Participating entities: KFTC (chair), KCA (secretariat), Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea Customs Service, Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, Korea Product Safety Management Institute
In addition, continuous monitoring will be conducted to prevent the redistribution of hazardous items. Discussions with AliExpress and Temu regarding expanding monitoring personnel and improving their systems will also continue.
Consumer Responsibility
As the volume of cross-border shopping grows significantly each year, preventing safety hazards requires not only efforts from the KFTC, KCA, and related government agencies but also the active attention and caution of consumers.
The KFTC and KCA strongly advise consumers to carefully review the composition and ingredients of products when purchasing online. Consumers are also encouraged to check overseas recall information and safety inspection results on Consumer24 or the Consumer Injury Surveillance System before making a purchase.