Only 51.5% of Products Clearly Display Verification Numbers
"Need to Strengthen Display of Verification Information Online"
A significant number of products sold on online shopping malls were found not to clearly display certification information.
On the 29th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that, as a result of investigating the display status of certification information on the online shopping mall sales pages of 454 products advertised as having obtained legal certifications, only 205 products (excluding 53 children's food additive certifications without assigned certification numbers) allowed verification of the authenticity of the certification through certification information. The Consumer Agency identified that among the seven certifications investigated, six certifications except for KC Certification have no legal obligation to display certification information online under current laws.
According to related laws such as the "Notice on Providing Information on Goods in Electronic Commerce," KC Certification requires that the KC mark and certification number be displayed together on the sales page during online sales. However, even for KC Certification, which is regulated by law, it was revealed that certification information provision was insufficient, with 17 products not displaying the certification mark on the sales page or not allowing verification of the certification number.
Among the products investigated, 20 products were found to be advertising as certified despite not having actually obtained certification, meaning their certification was invalid. Specifically, some products were labeled or advertised as certified without certification (9 products), had expired certification periods (6 products), or posted incorrect certification numbers (5 products).
The authenticity of each certification can be verified through the relevant government department in charge of certification or the Consumer24 website. In particular, for KC Certification, the "Notice on Providing Information on Goods in Electronic Commerce" recommends linking the sales page to the Consumer24 website or other inquiry page URLs to facilitate easy verification of certification authenticity. However, only 7% of the 454 products provided links on their sales pages to check certification information, with 18 products for KC Certification and 14 products for Eco-friendly Agricultural and Livestock Product Certification.
Based on this investigation, the Consumer Agency plans to recommend that the businesses under investigation strengthen monitoring of certification information on online sales pages and enhance seller education, as well as reinforce linkage with related websites to verify the appropriateness of certification information. The Korea Online Shopping Association will be requested to suspend sales of products with invalid certifications. Furthermore, consumers are urged to verify certification status through the relevant government department or the Consumer24 website when purchasing certified products and to carefully check certification marks, numbers, certification periods, and other information on sales pages.
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