Seoul City Conducts Intensive Toxicity Investigation of 'Ali·Temu'... "Weekly Disclosure of Detection List"

Seoul City Announces 'Measures to Ensure Consumer Safety on Overseas Online Platforms'
Harmful Substance Detection Product List to Be Released from 4th Week of This Month...Report Center to Operate

Seoul City has rolled up its sleeves in response to the 'low-price offensive' from overseas online platforms such as AliExpress and Temu. The city has prepared measures including the disclosure of a list of products found to contain harmful substances and the operation of a consumer reporting center.

On the 8th, Seoul City announced measures to ensure consumer safety on overseas online platforms. Based on the safety inspection results conducted last month, the city plans to focus on intensive investigations into the harmfulness of products sold on overseas online platforms and implement protection measures such as consumer damage relief.

According to the city, safety inspections of 31 daily life-related products ranked high in sales on AliExpress last month revealed that 8 products, including children's items, contained harmful substances exceeding permissible limits by a large margin. The city also explained that some products failed to meet physical safety standards such as durability.

Inspection results showed that four types of phthalate plasticizers were detected at 55.6 times the standard limit in children's leather bags. In children's tubes, phthalate plasticizers exceeding 33 times the standard limit were found. Phthalate plasticizers are known to have reproductive toxicity, including causing infertility. Toys that come into direct contact with infants' mouths and skin were found to have physical defects such as poor durability. Two types of teething toys used by infants were inspected and found to have designs and shapes that could easily block the airway, and they were easily damaged by slight force, posing a risk of suffocation.

Accordingly, the city plans to operate a continuous safety inspection system focusing on major Chinese online platforms collectively called 'Altesh' (AliExpress, Temu, Shein). From the fourth week of this month, inspection results will be disclosed to citizens weekly. Inspections will be conducted by the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment and certification agencies under the National Institute of Technology and Standards, focusing on products frequently purchased by domestic consumers or those with many damage reports.

A 'Consumer Damage Dedicated Reporting Center' for overseas direct purchase products will also be operated. Dedicated personnel will promptly provide consultation on damage situations and guidance on relief measures, and if necessary, establish a cooperative system with central agencies such as the Korea Consumer Agency to minimize damage.

Song Ho-jae, Seoul City's Director of Labor, Fairness, and Coexistence Policy, stated, "Overseas direct purchase products, which are easily consumed because they are cheap, do not comply with domestic safety standards and can cause damage at any time, so consumers need to be cautious. We will actively strive to minimize consumer damage by operating a dedicated consumer damage reporting center and establishing a continuous and systematic safety inspection system."