Ministry of Environment Launches '2nd Phase Children's Products Environmental Health Market Surveillance Team' to Strengthen Distribution Monitoring

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Environment announced on the 27th that it will launch the "2nd Children's Products Environmental Health Market Surveillance Team" on the 28th to protect children's health from illegal children's products.

The Children's Products Market Surveillance Team consists of 16 members, including housewives and students who have a strong interest in the safety management of children's products and experience in product monitoring activities.

The team will focus on monitoring new types of children's products as well as products suspected of being redistributed despite having been recalled under previous Ministry of Environment recall orders.

The Market Surveillance Team will monitor and detect illegally sold and distributed children's products in the market, report these to the Ministry of Environment and regional (local) environmental offices, and the relevant environmental offices will take administrative actions such as sales suspension and recall orders on products violating the "Environmental Health Act."

The 1st Market Surveillance Team, launched in 2019 with 15 members, conducted a full investigation of 105 products that violated environmental safety standards under the Environmental Health Act between 2015 and 2019. Among these 105 products, 91 were confirmed not to be sold or distributed, 9 products had their components improved, and 5 products that were circulating in the market were subjected to recall orders again.

In January this year, the Ministry of Environment amended the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Health Act to require illegal children's product manufacturers to submit recall results to the relevant environmental office after complying with recall orders. Additionally, the Ministry detected 17 products violating the safety standards of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy during risk assessments and forwarded related information to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy carried out recall actions on these 17 products in February this year.

Park Yong-gyu, Director of the Environmental Health Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, said, "The Ministry collects about 2,000 children's products distributed in the market every year to investigate the presence of environmental harmful factors," adding, "We will continue to develop and promote children's environmental health policies, including the launch of the Market Surveillance Team, to create an environment where children can grow up healthy and safe."

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