First, it is realistically inadequate with regard to the market logic. ‘Daily supplies’, that is products that can affect the human body, directly or indirectly, including accessories, all clothing, sneakers, and even cotton swabs are subject to the law. Such inclusion can be problematic due to certification costs, time frame, and other issues, or may cause an increase in the price of such products. For example, the 3,000 won slippers could go up to 10,000 won.

  Second, the proposed certification system is nearly impossible to apply to low-cost daily supplies, especially. It is because it can cost a lot of money to check the product for safety and to test its stability when manufacturing or importing socks or children’s toys that cost a few thousand won. Although the intent of the law is to protect consumers, if the unrevised legislation is passed, the cheap and good products that ordinary people have enjoyed so far will disappear.

  Opponents of this law are skeptical about this. They insisted that the germicide had been certified, but the incident occurred regardless. The same went for the ‘Galaxy Note 7 explosion’ case. The batteries of the Galaxy Note 7 were certified before the release. However, the certification was discontinued in an official announcement two months after the explosion. Afterwards, experts tried to find the cause of the explosion exactly, but they could not figure it out. Though what was revealed after the incident was that Samsung produced the battery edges without them even being properly designed. Therefore, it is presumed that this was due to an early launch date and excessive battery capacity because of competitive pressure. In the end, assuming the certified battery was the main cause of the accident, the credibility of the certification is diminished.

  The subsequent deaths caused by the humidifier sterilizers were especially terrifying for consumers. Humidifier sterilizer are used as a additive to humidifier water all the time. Product guides described them as harmless to the human body, yet there were 239 deaths and 1,288 serious lung disease patients. Most of the victims were mothers and infants. After the incident, the exposed facts were shocking. Korea was the only country to release a product called a humidifier sterilizer. PHMG and PGH, which were used in the product, are chemicals used in swimming pool cleaning and water tank cleaning. Without fully understanding how the chemicals affect the human body, the certification authority put KC marks on them. To conclude, the producers and sellers were under fire when the incident erupted, but eventually no reasonable liability was assigned to for the certification authority that granted KC certification. This is a situation in which it is questionable whether the certification authority is appropriately verifying products’ safety. Also, there are worries about the lack of rechecking and ongoing management after the first certification. The main concern of this controversial law is the high cost of certification. To lower the cost of certification, more certification institutions are needed. There also should be strict criteria for inspection because it is connected with the original intention, consumers’ safety.

69th Reporter WOO HEESO heeso0303@naver.com

70th Cub Reporter KIM YOONSEO charin1228@naver.com