35 products recalled in foreign lands sold locally

Products that have been recalled abroad are being sold in Korea as if they have no defects.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced a list of 35 such products Thursday and ordered the manufacturers and distributors to recall them or offer free repairs.

The list included a U.S.-branded dresser that was prone to tipping over. This was similar to the case last year in which Swedish furniture giant Ikea recalled some 29 million dressers in North America after the model caused the deaths of three young boys.

“We conducted an inspection from January to March and found 35 products are being sold in Korea even though they were recalled overseas,” said Yoon Kyung-chun, a director at the Korea Consumer Agency. “We asked the manufacturers and distributors to act reasonably, such as offering free repairs.”

Leisure-related products accounted for 25.7 percent of the faulty goods, followed by food products and electronics, both accounting for 17.1 percent. Another five products, or 14.3 percent, were used by children.

The agency said one type of Yamaha all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was recalled in the United States due to defects in a throttle cable and a Britax-brand stroller was recalled in the United States due to the safety issues with its car seats. A three-drawer dresser from U.S-based Bolton Furniture was recalled and faced a sales ban because of its tendency to tip over when not anchored to a wall.

An LED bulb from Ohio-based Technical Consumer Products also faced a recall and sales ban due to the possibility of electrical shocks. The LED bulbs were prone to overheat.

A glass teapot from Kikkerland Design, a New York-based furniture and interior brand, was recalled because it could burn a bamboo-made trivet that came with it.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency, manufacturers of seven of the 35 products already offered free repairs. But it couldn’t track down the manufacturers of 28 products. The agency asked online commerce sites to stop selling the products.

“We will continue monitoring products being sold in this country to find products recalled overseas and communicate with large discount chains and e-commerce operators about their problems,” said Yoon. “We want customers to check our website [www.ciss.go.kr] to find out whether any products they bought have problems.”

BY KIM YOUNG-NAM [kim.youngnam@joongang.co.kr]