No KC Certification: Aliexpress and Temu Direct Purchase Hair Dryers, Fans Fail Radio Wave Safety Standards

Seven Types of Overseas Direct Purchase Electronics Fail to Meet Radio Wave Standards
"Purchasing Certified Products in Korea Is Safer"

A significant number of electronic products purchased directly from overseas shopping sites such as Aliexpress and Temu have been found to fail to meet radio wave safety standards. Currently, overseas direct purchase products are exempt from KC certification related to radio waves for personal use, leaving a blind spot in safety verification.

The image is for illustrative purposes only and is unrelated to the content. Clipart Korea

On November 18, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that, after analyzing the radio wave safety compliance of 29 types of products purchased directly by consumers from overseas shopping sites such as Aliexpress, Temu, and Amazon and imported into Korea, more than 25%, or 7 types, failed to meet the standards.

Hair Dryers, Fans, and More: Seven Overseas Direct Purchase Products Fail to Meet Radio Wave Standards

The products that failed to meet the standards included hair dryers, electric drills, portable fans, necklace-type fans, stand-type fans, wireless microphones, and CCTV cameras. These products were found to have issues such as exceeding the permissible radio wave emission levels set by current standards or using unauthorized frequency bands. However, there were no products found to violate human safety standards.

The Ministry of Science and ICT explained, "This investigation was conducted to determine whether ICT products cause radio interference with other electronic devices during use," adding, "A typical example is when operating a hair dryer interferes with smartphone calls nearby."

Problems Caused by Exceeding Radio Wave Standards

If there are issues with radio wave compliance, excessive unnecessary electromagnetic waves may be generated, causing interference with nearby electronic devices and resulting in communication failures, unstable connections, or device malfunctions. In the same space, Wi-Fi disconnections or unstable Bluetooth connections may also occur due to such radio interference.

The Ministry of Science and ICT advised, "The products that failed to meet the standards were not properly managed, with even the manufacturer or product name not clearly indicated," and recommended, "Rather than being lured by low prices, purchase products that have been certified in Korea at a fair price."

Overseas direct purchase products that failed to meet radio wave safety standards. Ministry of Science and ICT

The Ministry of Science and ICT has requested domestic and international online commerce platforms to block the sale of non-compliant products to prevent harm to consumers, and has released information on these products on the National Radio Research Agency and Consumer24 websites.

Going forward, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to continue safety inspections and monitoring to prevent hazardous goods from being distributed domestically through overseas direct purchases, and will continue to cooperate with related agencies such as the Fair Trade Commission, Korea Customs Service, Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Ministry of Environment.

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