Elementary School 'Nasso' Soccer Balls Must Bear National Integrated Certification 'KC Mark' for Supply

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] From now on, only balls bearing the KC Mark, a national integrated certification mark indicating compliance with children's product safety standards, will be supplied to elementary schools.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's National Institute of Technology and Standards (NITS) and the Korea Council of Superintendents of Education announced that they had signed a "Memorandum of Understanding for the Implementation of Safety Management Improvement Measures for Elementary School Educational Tools." The agreement includes information provision, educational support, and the promotion of safe educational tools.

Three companies?Nasso, Star Sports, and Decathlon?have voluntarily obtained the KC Mark in accordance with children's product safety standards for a total of 205 ball products, including 62 soccer balls and 37 basketballs, since last month, and will affix the mark to their products.

This follows the detection of harmful substances such as cadmium in elementary school soccer balls and basketballs on March 24 of last year, after which NITS formed a consultative body with sports goods manufacturers and importers to discuss the matter.

With the signing of the agreement, NITS will create and distribute the "Elementary School Educational Tools Purchasing Guidelines." It will also support education on children's product safety management systems and purchasing methods for educational tools at each city and provincial office of education.

When elementary schools purchase educational tools, they must buy products bearing the KC Mark in accordance with the Special Act on Children's Product Safety for "children's products" intended for children under 13 years old.

For "general-purpose products" intended for all ages, not just children under 13, schools are encouraged to prioritize purchasing products that companies have voluntarily manufactured according to children's product safety standards and affixed with the KC Mark.

According to the Special Act on Children's Product Safety, all children's products must be tested and inspected for harmful chemical substances such as cadmium, lead, and phthalate plasticizers, as well as physical safety requirements, before the KC Mark can be affixed to the product.

Since general-purpose products are used as physical education and learning tools in elementary schools, extra attention to safety is required.

According to NITS, only about 40% of approximately 6,000 elementary schools nationwide currently check for the KC Mark when purchasing educational tools. The number of students is about 2.75 million.

Lee Seung-woo, Director of NITS, said, "The voluntary attachment of the KC Mark to sports goods supplied to elementary schools is a successful example of collaboration among NITS, nationwide education offices, and sports goods manufacturers," and urged, "School teachers should always check for the KS Mark and labeling information when purchasing educational tools."

Kim Seung-hwan, Chairman of the Korea Council of Superintendents of Education, said, "In cooperation with NITS, we will ensure that elementary schools purchase only products confirmed to be safe under the Special Act on Children's Product Safety when buying educational tools."