Panasonic's eyelash curler and Xiaomi's Mijia eye massager were deemed unsafe, adding them to the list of banned items for purchasing agency.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 15th that it issued safety standard non-compliance judgments for 77 products sold in a purchasing agency format through domestic online platforms and requested purchasing agencies to cease their activities.
The National Institute of Technology and Standards conducted safety investigations on 420 products entering the country in the form of purchasing agency, including direct current power supplies and toys. Among these, 77 products were found to be non-compliant with safety standards. By category, 12 electrical products, 38 consumer goods, and 27 children's products were deemed non-compliant with safety standards.
The Panasonic eyelash curler 'EH-SE11' was found to be unsafe due to insufficient temperature increase at normal temperature, posing a burn risk. Xiaomi's eye massager also exceeded the allowable heating temperature.
Swimming gear such as tubes has also been designated as a prohibited item for purchasing agencies. With the approach of summer, there has been a surge in direct purchases of swimming products, but concerns have been raised about the risk of buying unverified products, necessitating consumer caution. The National Institute of Technology and Standards stated, "Nine swimming products were found to have a thickness thinner than the standard, raising concerns about drowning," adding that "children's swimming gear also showed non-compliance in thickness and detected significant environmental hormones in materials."
The National Institute of Technology and Standards has notified purchasing agencies about the survey results for the 77 identified non-compliant products and requested them to cease their operations. It plans to request local governments to impose fines according to related laws such as the Special Act on the Safety of Children's Products after further investigation of agencies that sold prohibited products.
A representative of the National Institute of Technology and Standards noted, "We plan to take criminal action if necessary" and added, "We will strengthen monitoring activities in both online and offline markets to eradicate the sale of illegal purchasing agency products."