SEOUL, June 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Seoul city government has asked online retail giants Temu and AliExpress to suspend sales of certain children's products over safety concerns, saying Friday that some goods far exceeded local limits for hazardous substances.

Chinese e-commerce titans like Shein, Temu and AliExpress have seen a surge in global popularity in recent years, drawing in consumers with a wide range of trendy, ultra-low-cost fashion and accessories -- positioning them as major rivals to US giant Amazon.

Their rapid rise has triggered growing scrutiny over business practices and product safety, including in South Korea.

The Seoul city government said Friday it recently inspected 35 children's products sold on Temu and AliExpress -- including umbrellas, raincoats and rain boots -- and found that 11 failed to meet South Korea's safety standards or contained hazardous substances above local limits.

In six of the umbrellas, phthalate-based plasticisers -- chemicals used to make plastics more flexible -- were found at levels far exceeding safety standards, the city said in a statement.

Some of those products exceeded the domestic safety limit by up to 443.5 times for the chemical, while two items were found to contain lead at levels up to 27.7 times higher than the locally acceptable level.

Based on the inspection results, the Seoul government said it "has requested that online platforms suspend sales of the non-compliant products".

It also noted that "prolonged exposure to harmful substances can affect children's growth and health", and highlighted the need to carefully review product information before making purchases.

Temu and AliExpress did not immediately reply to requests for comment from AFP.

The Seoul government told AFP the retailers have no legal obligations to comply with their request.

Phthalate-based plasticisers can cause endocrine disorders, while lead exposure above safety limits can impair reproductive functions and increase the risk of cancer, Seoul authorities said.

Last year, the city government said women's accessories sold by Shein, AliExpress and Temu contained toxic substances sometimes hundreds of times above acceptable levels.

The European Union last year added Shein to its list of digital firms that are big enough to come under stricter safety rules -- including measures to protect customers from unsafe products, especially those that could be harmful to minors.