KC Certification Loophole Led to Baby Bathtub Incident

No Re-certification Needed Even if Ingredients Change
Same Issues Pointed Out 3 Years Ago
Still Operating Without Improvements
National Assembly and Public Petitions Raise Need for Enhancements

Daehyun Chemical Industry's 'Cosma Baby Bathtub' product. It was also distributed under other names such as 'Drainage Baby Bathtub' and 'Bella Home Baby Bathtub.' The drain stopper contained phthalate-based plasticizers that cause liver and kidney damage, exceeding the standard by 612.5 times, leading to a recent recall order.

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] It has been confirmed that the 'baby bathtub incident,' in which harmful substances were found to exceed the standard by more than 600 times and led to a recall, has repeatedly occurred over several years due to loopholes in the National Integrated Certification (KC) system. Although calls for system improvement have emerged since three years ago, no improvements have been made so far.

On the 29th, the National Institute of Technology and Standards (NITS) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy issued a recall order for baby bathtubs exceeding harmful substance standards, yet these products are still being sold as 'KC-certified products' on open markets. It is difficult to identify distributors selling the same product under different brands, making it hard to distinguish recall-targeted products, and consumer damage continues.

The problematic baby bathtub did not detect harmful substances at the time of obtaining KC certification. However, after changes in raw materials and components during the manufacturing process, phthalate-based plasticizers?which cause liver and kidney damage?were found in the drain plug exceeding the standard by 612.5 times, leading to a recent recall order. Once KC certification is obtained, there is no need for re-certification even if raw materials and components change in the second or third production, resulting in poor quality control.

Another issue is the indiscriminate use of KC certification by distributors selling under their own brands after the manufacturer obtained KC certification. Among the companies selling the baby bathtub, Daiso began product recalls after the recall order, but e-commerce companies such as 11st, WEMAKEPRICE, and TMON continued selling the same product even after the official recall order. It is difficult to confirm whether it is the same product unless individual sellers verify it.

This situation also occurred just three years ago. In 2018, Kim Kyu-hwan, a member of the Liberty Korea Party, pointed out based on NITS data that harmful substances not present at the time of KC certification were detected in 87 out of 103 children’s products. Among them were hairpins with lead exceeding the standard by 615 times and infant carriers with phthalate-based plasticizers exceeding 440 times. At that time, there were calls to strengthen post-management of KC certification, but only recall orders were issued.

There are also demands to expand the scope of safety certification for children’s products and apply higher safety standards to all products used by newborns under 36 months. A national petition is underway to include children’s water play equipment, playground equipment, car safety devices, and even daily necessities such as BB guns.

The National Assembly has also demanded thorough investigations and system improvements. Jang Cheol-min, a member of the Environment and Labor Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "A thorough investigation and compensation measures must be taken at the government level," and added, "Stricter safety standards should be applied to products for newborns and children."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.