Government to Establish AI-Based Product Safety System... Strengthening Oversight of Cross-Border E-Commerce and Converged Products

Announcement of the 6th Comprehensive Product Safety Management Plan
AI-Based Market Monitoring and Blocking of Hazardous Products

The government will establish a product safety management system utilizing data and artificial intelligence (AI), in response to the expansion of cross-border e-commerce, the growth of online distribution, and the increase in AI-converged new products. The number of investigations into hazardous products purchased overseas will be more than doubled within three years, and an AI-based online market monitoring system will also be introduced.

On May 12, the government announced the '6th Comprehensive Product Safety Management Plan (2026–2028),' a joint initiative by relevant ministries, following deliberation and resolution at the 7th Product Safety Policy Council.

This comprehensive plan was established with the goal of "creating a society where people feel safe and confident through proactive product safety management based on data and AI." Over the next three years, the government will implement four major strategies and 16 key initiatives: building a prevention-focused response system, rationalizing risk-based regulations, strengthening post-market management based on data and AI, and creating a safety management system with private sector participation.

First, to block the inflow of hazardous products through cross-border e-commerce, the government will expand the scale of safety investigations from 1,000 cases this year to more than 2,000 cases by 2028. Cooperation among relevant ministries will be strengthened, and a system will be established to preemptively analyze new risk factors in AI-converged products.

The government will also work to address blind spots in product safety by identifying items not currently under management. New product categories for safety management will be continuously discovered, reflecting consumer demand and market changes, and a response system linking research and development (R&D) with demonstration projects will be established.

The regulatory system will be restructured to focus on risk levels. The government plans to rationally adjust the list of regulated items and the level of regulation according to the risk and characteristics of products, and to reduce the burden on companies by preventing redundant testing, among other measures.

In particular, safety management will be strengthened for items with a high likelihood of accidents, such as products with built-in batteries and children's items, and safety standards for new types of products, including smart home appliances, will be updated in a timely manner. The government will also expand support for testing, certification costs, and risk assessment for small and medium-sized enterprises.

AI technology will be fully introduced into the post-market management system. The government will select high-risk items by analyzing fire and accident records, as well as distribution volume, and will increase the scale of intensive investigations to 1.5 times that of the previous year.

AI will also be applied to the collection and analysis of product accident information to establish a rapid response system, and the online distribution market will be continuously monitored using AI to block the distribution of hazardous products.

The government will also strengthen a safety management system with private sector participation. The self-regulatory safety management capabilities of online distribution platforms will be enhanced, and information sharing and cooperation on recalls will be expanded. The Product Safety Information Portal will be revamped to be user-centric and provide customized information.

Kim Daeja, Administrator of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "Product safety is a fundamental value directly linked to the lives of the people," adding, "By implementing proactive management utilizing data and AI, we will create an environment where the public can feel secure and enhance the trust of businesses and the market."

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