Products recalled overseas being sold in S. Korea: report

South Korea's consumer rights watchdog said Thursday that it found 473 faulty products which had been recalled from overseas markets were being sold here in 2023.

The Korea Consumer Agency, affiliate of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, said it has pulled the faulty products from the distribution. Nearly a quarter of the products, 113, were food and beverages, 106 were electronic devices, 70 were products for children, while 61 were sports-related items.

Some 69.9 percent of the recalls for food and beverages were due to products containing components that are toxic or could set off an allergic reaction. The leading cause for recalls of children's products were small parts presenting concerns for choking, 35.7 percent, and 37.7 percent of the recalls for electronic devices were because of electrocution and other concerns related to wiring.

The agency verified the country of origin for 219 items, of which 138 were made in China.

The KCA has been working with local distributors to weed out distribution of faulty products from the local market, with the agency monitoring the distribution and requesting its partner firms to cease sales of the products. It inked deals with seven online distributors including Coupang and Naver -- operator of Naver Shopping -- in 2021, while signing agreements with used product sales platforms including Danggeun Market and Junggonara.

The agency said it is currently pushing for an agreement with international retailers including Amazon.com and AliExpress.

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