South Korea product regulations FAQs

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has recently introduced new regulations for certain products sold by online retailers and websites in South Korea. 

As of January 1, 2023, a Korea Certification (KC) Number and/or KC Mark Logo (depending on product type) must be clearly displayed on all affected online product listings, as well as on the product or product outer packaging delivered to customers. Violations of this policy may result in an administrative fine, so it’s important for Wish merchants to understand and comply with these guidelines.

The premise behind the new KFTC regulations is that online sales of products subject to certain types of safety-related certifications (including, but not limited to, electrical appliances) clearly display applicable certifications on their webpages. This assists online customers with making informed purchasing decisions.

The purpose of this FAQ is to assist merchants in complying with the regulations.* 

Click on the question to be taken to the answer:

1. Who must comply with these regulations?

2. What is KC Certification?

3. How do merchants obtain a KC Number for their products?

4. How do merchants display a KC Number and/or KC Mark Logo on Wish?

5. What products are affected?

6. Who can merchants contact for certificate-related queries or questions on technical product specifications or requirements?

 7. What happens if a merchant does not comply with the Korean product compliance or product listing requirements, including the KC certification scheme rules?

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1. Who must comply with these regulations?

Any merchant selling via Wish to South Korean customers or within South Korea must comply. 

Local Korean merchants (who sell their products through Wish.com in Korea) are already obligated to comply with individual laws and regulations for their products. 

Please note that the relevant Korean laws set forth detailed lists of products subject to different levels of safety-related testing, a determination of which will require careful review. Testing agencies (listed below) may assist merchants when making such determinations.

2. What is KC Certification?

KC Certification is a process that ensures products conform to Korean safety standards (or K Standards). KC Certification focuses on prevention and reduction of risks to safety, health, and environment. 

KC certified products are issued a KC Number and/or KC Mark Logo (depending on product type), which must be clearly displayed on the product’s online listing and on the product or product packaging. The KC Number/Logo confirms that the product meets K Standards (continue reading the following questions and answers to learn more). 

In publishing their new regulations, the KFTC has not created new labeling requirements for physical products. Rather, the new regulations seek to clarify requirements for goods sold through online marketplaces, in particular to how certification labels (containing a number and/or logo) are displayed. 

Learn more about KC Certification.

3. How do merchants obtain a KC Number for their products?

A KC Number is issued to individual products. Each product is eligible or ineligible based on components, ingredients, or other factors set by relevant regulations (e.g., the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products (EACP) Safety Control Act, which includes three types of certification requirements depending on potential level of harm to consumers, i.e., (i) safety certification, (ii) safety confirmation, and (iii) supplier’s confirmation of conformity). 

Some products may require an application, lab testing process, or factory audit before they can receive a KC Number. 

The use of a KC Number (along with a KC Mark Logo; see more below) is determined and assigned by an accredited testing agency that reviews applications from applicants seeking to comply. 

Note: For products subject to a KC Number/Logo, there are designated product categories for which the relevant certification need not be made by an accredited testing agency (and no KC Number/Logo assigned).

Contact one of the following testing agencies for how to obtain KC Numbers/Logos: 

• For Electrical Products:
  • Korea Testing Certification Institute (KTC)
  • Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR)

• For Consumer Products, Children’s Products, Textile Products and others:
  • FITI Test Research Institute
  • Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL)
  • Korea Apparel Testing & Research Institute (KATRI)
  • KOTITI Testing & Research Institute

4. How do merchants display a KC Number and/or KC Mark Logo on Wish?

After a merchant verifies which products require a KC Number and/or KC Mark Logo, the merchant must then upload a photo as an extra image(s) to the corresponding product(s) on the Wish product listing page(s). 

Photos must meet the following requirements:

1. Photos must be high-resolution
2. Font size of the KC Number should appear equal to or larger in size than the product’s selling price on the same page. 
3. Photos of the KC Number (if applicable) and KC Mark Logo should be taken as they appear on the product or packaging. 
   • If capturing the KC Number on the product is too difficult (e.g., size limitations), then take a photo as it appears on the product’s packaging, making sure the KC Number still adheres to the font size regulation mentioned above.
4. The KC Number (if applicable) must appear under the KC Mark Logo, as shown below. 

5. The KC Mark Logo must adhere to certain width and height ratios (as shown below), though it has no size requirement.

Note: For products subject to the KC Mark Logo, certain product categories may not need relevant certification from an accredited testing agency and may display the KC Mark Logo without the KC Number. These products are those subject to only having the supplier’s confirmation of conformity under the EACP Safety Act. In these cases, the merchant is still required to conduct relevant testing by themselves and keep relevant testing results.  

5. What products are affected?

Consumer products must receive KC Certification if the product could harm the health or safety of the consumer through their use, their characteristics, or if they pose a pollution risk to the environment. Certification requirements for a product can be checked either with an accredited testing lab or directly with the Korean authority (merchant must provide technical specifications and other information).

See the table below for the product types that may be affected by this regulation and the information South Korea requires from selling merchants.

Note: This table is an example for illustration purposes only and as a comparison with the online product listing compliance requirements. Relevant Korean laws offer detailed lists of products subject to different levels of safety-related testing, a determination that requires careful review. Testing agencies (as listed above and below) can assist merchants when making these determinations.

Category	Product examples	Pre-existing   product/package   compliance   requirements	New online listing   product/package     compliance   requirements  (effective 1/1/2023)
Automotive	Air fresheners Shining/coating agents Anti-freeze Seat belts Headlights Brake parts (e.g., see the Toxic Chemical Controls Law)	Under the Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act, these products are subject to detailed safety related requirements and labeling information No need for either KC Mark Logo or Number	Requisite information required for “household chemical products” must be properly displayed on applicable product listings No need for either KC Mark Logo or Number
Children’s   products	Toys Textiles Infant chairs School supplies Bicycles (e.g., see the Special Act on the Safety of Children’s Products and an Update of the "Special Law on Safety of Children’s Products" in Korea)	KC Mark Logo and/or KC Number (depending on sub-product type) must be displayed legibly and clearly on the product (e.g., for textiles and infant chairs intended for children < 36 months, both KC Mark Logo and KC Number are required; for those intended for ages 3-13 years, only KC Mark Logo is needed) Other mandatory required detailed labeling information	KC Number/Logo must be high resolution KC Number is highly recommended to be the same size or larger than the displayed selling price Other mandatory required detailed labeling information
Electrical   appliances   & other   consumer   products	Any household appliance receiving power from a socket, adapter, plug, or battery: Cigarette lighters Pressure cookers Bicycles Smart phones Video game devices (e.g., see the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Product Safety Control Act)	KC Mark Logo and/or KC Number (depending on sub-product type) must be displayed legibly and clearly on the product or packaging Either KC Mark Logo or KC Number required if the size of the surface area of such products where the relevant certification information may be marked is less than 400 mm2 (square millimeter) Other mandatory required detailed labeling information	KC Number/Logo must be high resolution KC Number is highly recommended to be the same size or larger than the displayed selling price Other mandatory required detailed labeling information
Home   appliances   (requiring   installation)   &   refurbished   furniture	Large-sized TVs Audio/video systems Air conditioning/ HVAC units	KC Mark Logo and/or KC Number (depending on sub-product type) must be displayed legibly and clearly on the product or packaging (i.e., only drawers of 762 mm or higher are subject to the KC Mark Logo) Other mandatory required detailed labeling information	Home appliances must disclose the installation fee range/estimate on certain appliances. Refurbished furniture:  Must disclose reasons for refurbishment Must identify and disclose the areas subject to the refurbishment work
Perishable   items	Cosmetics Hair care  Skincare  Food Vitamins (e.g., see the Cosmetics Act, Food Sanitation Act, and/or the Consumer Chemical Products And Biocides Safety Control Act)	Date of Manufacturing as well as expiration or shelf-life date must be disclosed Other mandatory required detailed labeling information No need for either KC Mark Logo or Number	Alternative text can be used for online listings instead of date of manufacturing, expiration, or shelf life, such as:  “We ship only  goods with a remaining shelf life of more than [X] days as of date of shipment.” or “We exclusively sell goods that were manufactured within [Y] days of the date of order placement.” No need for either KC Mark Logo or Number

 

6. Who can merchants contact for certificate-related queries or questions on technical product specifications or requirements?

The Korea Agency for Technology and Standard (KATS) administers requirements related to the KC Mark Logo. Although the Korea Product Safety Association (KPSA) website provides information to help identify relevant certification requirements for different products, the information is not available in English, nor is it official confirmation from Korean authorities.

Korea’s laws and regulations on safety certifications tend to be quite detailed and technical. If necessary, the Korean testing agencies (noted earlier in this article) may assist merchants with securing relevant certifications on a fee-based service (content is available in English as well). 

 7. What happens if a merchant does not comply with the Korean product compliance or product listing requirements, including the KC certification scheme rules?

Merchants on Wish are responsible for ensuring that their products and product listings: 1) meet all applicable mandatory product standards and legal requirements of the regions they ship to and from; and 2) satisfy all local or national laws, regulations, and product compliance and/or safety rules. 

If a merchant violates the Wish Merchant Policy, or if they sell or market for sale on the Wish platform certain non-conforming, defective, or non-compliant goods, or publish prohibited or restricted product listings, then they may face one or more of the following risks (included but not limited to):

• Infraction warning(s)
• Listing(s) removal
• Regional or platform-wide suspension of listings, categories/groups of listings, or at store-level
• Suspension or termination of their merchant store(s) or Wish merchant account(s)
• Negative impact to Wish Standards’ tier
• Any other actions as may be permitted by applicable law(s), regulation(s), or policy/policies that Wish determines to be necessary and appropriate under the circumstances 

If a local regulator in South Korea complains to Wish about a merchant’s lack of product or product listing compliance, then Wish will take action by either asking the merchant to immediately comply and/or removing the product/product listing from sale to Korean-based (and potentially other) customers. 

Merchants that do not plan to obtain a KC Number and/or KC Mark Logo (as applicable) should speak with their manufacturers and/or suppliers of in-scope, eligible products in order to understand their product safety testing environment and obtain the KC Number and/or KC Mark Logo (if necessary) to comply with local Korean law. 

Wish reserves the right, without limiting any other remedies, to limit, suspend or terminate those merchants who repeatedly violate this policy or who otherwise sell non-conforming, defective, or non-compliant goods, or who publish prohibited or restricted product listings. 

For more information, please see Wish’s Merchant Policy on listing products.

 

*The guidance, content, and information offered by Wish in this document is for informational purposes only, is general in nature, and is not intended to and should not be relied upon or construed as a legal opinion or legal advice regarding any specific issue or factual circumstance. Information in this document may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. Merchants are advised to seek independent professional legal/tax advice from a third-party consultant/advisor should they have any questions on such obligations. No reader of this document should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information in this document without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.