Cotton Candy Machine Purchased Directly from China Found 'Uncertified'
Not Approved by MFDS or KC, Use Prohibited in Korea
Multiple Small Business Owners Suffer Losses... "Lost Tens of Millions of Won"
More self-employed individuals are suffering damages after purchasing Chinese-made automatic cotton candy machines through overseas direct online shopping (direct purchase). These products were found to be uncertified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), making profit generation impossible and potentially resulting in fines.
On the 12th, Yonhap News reported that the number of self-employed people who have suffered damages ranging from several million to tens of millions of Korean won after purchasing commercial Chinese-made cotton candy machines through e-commerce platforms is increasing.
As of 1 p.m. on the 12th, searching for "automatic cotton candy machine" on the representative Chinese e-commerce site AliExpress yields dozens of similar products. The results are the same when searching on another e-commerce site, Temu. Although marks such as "Safety Management Target Product," "Safe," and "Safety Verified" are attached regarding safety, these products have not received KC certification or MFDS approval, making their use illegal within Korea.
Products that appear when searching for 'automatic cotton candy machine' on AliExpress. Please note that detailed information such as seller names has been pixelated. [Photo by AliExpress]
A (52), who runs a lighting store in Seongnam, purchased two Chinese-made automatic cotton candy machines last May for 15 million won each, paying a total of 30 million won through direct purchase, intending to earn additional income. Including 300,000 won for shipping, the total price was 30.3 million won.
The cotton candy sold at the amusement park brought in daily sales of around 1 million won for A. The operating profit margin reached 90%. However, less than a month after installation, the amusement park received a report and was notified to remove the machines. The cotton candy machines were uncertified by both KC and the MFDS. Moreover, A was investigated by the police and prosecution for using uncertified machines and was fined 2 million won.
To import Chinese commercial cotton candy machines through official customs procedures, KC certification for use in Korea must be obtained. If uncertified products are imported through direct purchase and used commercially, KC certification must be acquired domestically. A said, "I purchased the product without knowing it required certification," adding, "When I later tried to obtain KC certification, the process was complicated and costly. I even had to get MFDS approval to operate, so I gave up."
The machine that seemed like it would bring sweet additional income like cotton candy quickly turned into a scrap heap. A immediately protested to the purchasing agency, but the agency claimed, "We stated in the product description that the product is distributed through purchasing agency services," and "It is marked as a safety management target product under the Electrical Appliances and Household Goods Safety Control Act," evading responsibility.
A said, "Since the uncertified cotton candy machines cannot be resold secondhand, they became useless. They are just left abandoned in a warehouse," adding, "Seeing others suffer similar losses on online communities, I decided to inform the public to prevent further damage." He emphasized, "Many Chinese-made cotton candy machines circulating in the market are either uncertified or use forged certificates from other companies. If only certified products were allowed through customs, damages could be prevented, so there is a need to address this loophole."
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