Korean Agency for Technology and Standards Recalls 50 Products Including Toys and School Supplies...Strengthens Safety Inspections for the New School Term

Includes 32 Children's Products Exceeding Lead and Cadmium Limits
Fire and Burn Hazards Found in Plugs, Electric Pads, and Other Products

With spring and the new school term approaching, safety management for children's products such as toys and school supplies is being strengthened. The government has issued recall orders for 50 products that violated safety standards.

On February 26, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it had conducted safety inspections on 1,008 products across 49 categories, including toys and school supplies for which demand is expected to increase, and ordered recalls and other measures for 50 products that failed to meet safety standards.

The recall targets include 32 children's products, 13 electrical products, and 5 household goods. Among children's products, the list includes 9 toys that exceeded the permissible levels for hazardous substances such as lead and cadmium, 6 leather products for children, 5 types of school supplies, and 5 textile products for children such as bags.

In the case of electrical products, 3 plugs and outlets, 2 electric pads, and 2 cable reels that posed a fire risk due to non-compliance with temperature rise requirements were detected. Among household goods, 2 eyelash curlers that posed a burn risk due to non-compliance with normal temperature rise requirements and 1 electric bicycle that posed a fire risk due to failing to meet battery safety standards were included in the recall.

To block the distribution of these hazardous products in the market, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards has released information on the recalled products through the Product Safety Information Center and Consumer 24, and has registered them in the "Hazardous Product Sales Blocking System," which is linked to approximately 290,000 retail outlets nationwide and online shopping malls.

Kim Daeja, head of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, said, "We will thoroughly monitor whether businesses comply, so that products subject to recall orders are not distributed on the market," adding, "We will make every effort to ensure product safety for spring and the new school term, including intensive joint inspections by the public and private sectors of stationery stores around elementary schools through March 27."