Korea Importers Association and Aliexpress Verify Safety of Winter Season Products

Inspection of 298 Products Reveals 12% Fall Short of Safety Standards
Immediate Sales Suspension for Non-Compliant Items

The Korea Importers Association announced on January 20 that it had conducted safety inspections on winter season products and Christmas-related items, which see a surge in cross-border online shopping demand during the winter.

This inspection was carried out as part of the "Strengthening Safety Management of Cross-Border Shopping Products" initiative, a collaborative project between the Korea Importers Association and Aliexpress Korea. The goal is to proactively check the safety of cross-border shopping products to ensure consumer safety and create a secure distribution environment. Seven domestic accredited testing and inspection agencies (KTR, KCL, KTC, KATRI, KOTITI, FITI, and SGS) participated in the inspection, comprehensively evaluating the physical safety of the products and the presence of hazardous substances.

The inspection focused on items with high consumer contact, including clothing and household goods frequently used or worn during winter, as well as Christmas decorations and children's products. Emphasis was placed on verifying safety under actual usage conditions.

As a result, the majority of the 298 products inspected-including 194 winter season items and 63 Christmas products-were found to meet domestic safety standards. However, about 12% of the total inspected items did not meet these standards, and those products were immediately withdrawn from sale in cooperation with Aliexpress Korea. Ongoing monitoring within the platform has also been strengthened to prevent the resale of identical products.

The association stated, "As cross-border online shopping becomes more common, the importance of safety management that consumers can feel is growing. This winter season inspection aims to create an environment where consumers can shop with confidence, and we will continue to strengthen the foundation for safe consumption through regular safety inspections by season and product category."

Meanwhile, the Korea Importers Association has been institutionalizing seasonal safety inspections, covering summer water leisure items, autumn season products, and now winter season items as well.