Korea Import Association Partners with Ali to Strengthen Product Safety

Requested from five major domestic testing agencies
If non-compliance is found, product sales will be blocked and consumers refunded

The Korea Importers Association announced on the 30th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AliExpress Korea at its office in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, to strengthen safety monitoring of overseas direct purchase products.

Kim Byung-kwan, President of the Korea Importers Association (right), is taking a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AliExpress Korea to strengthen safety monitoring of overseas direct purchase products at the Korea Importers Association building in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 30th.
[Photo by Korea Importers Association]

Through this MOU, the association will select the most purchased items by category each month from products sold on AliExpress, then request five leading domestic testing and inspection agencies (KTR, KCL, KOTITI, FITI, KATRI) to conduct safety conformity tests based on domestic standards. The results will be notified to AliExpress, and if any non-compliant products are found, AliExpress will immediately block the sale of those products and proceed with consumer refunds.

Kim Byung-kwan, Chairman of the Korea Importers Association, stated, “Products imported and sold domestically through importers undergo formal customs clearance and domestic safety inspections before distribution, allowing domestic consumers to use imported products safely. However, with the recent increase in online transactions and consumers directly purchasing overseas products online, concerns about safety are growing. Therefore, online platform operators must voluntarily strengthen their purification capabilities and implement strong consumer protection measures such as sales suspension.”

Chairman Kim added, “As the number of domestic users on AliExpress is rapidly increasing and the company has a strong willingness to take strict measures against harmful products, the Importers Association plans to actively cooperate by conducting objective and transparent investigations to ensure consumer safety so that AliExpress can promptly take action.”

Lei Zhang, CEO of AliExpress Korea, said, “AliExpress has been conducting its own safety monitoring inspections on products sold and taking meticulous measures such as banning sales of problematic products. To further strengthen a more objective and rigorous monitoring system, we decided to cooperate with the Korea Importers Association, a reputable import specialist organization in Korea. Based on the safety inspection results from leading domestic testing agencies, we will implement strong consumer protection measures.”