By Park Hyong-ki
China is seemingly increasing the scope of its retaliatory measures against Korean companies and their products in a move to reaffirm its hostility and opposition toward the deployment of the U.S. antimissile defense system here.
Following the ban of imports of Korean content such as TV soap operas and music, and celebrities' appearance in Chinese advertisements and cosmetics promoted by K-pop singers, China has disapproved air purifiers and toilet seats of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, Korea's two biggest consumer tech giants.
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced late last month via its website that it was prohibiting sales and distribution of eight foreign brands of air purifiers as they failed to meet its safety standards. Of the eight, half of them were from Korean companies including LG Electronics and Shinil Industrial.
This follows an earlier announcement by AQSIQ, which banned a total of 47 electronic toilet seats, yet again citing their failure in safety and performance. Of the 47 on the list, 43 were from Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics, while the rest were from Taiwan. AQSIQ inspected 106 products, and noted that a majority of those that failed to pass its test did not post caution and safety signs, according to the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS).
"Some of the products did not have signs that warned users to keep them away from children's reach, while others simply failed as they were not made tailored to Chinese safety and performance specifications," the KATS said in a statement.
Early this month, Chinese authorities disqualified 28 cosmetic products from being marketed and distributed in the mainland. More than half of those products were from Korea.
"The market needs to approach this conservatively, given the data showing shares of cosmetics falling and inbound Chinese tourists decreasing following the decision to deploy the U.S. antimissile defense,"said Park Sang-yeon, analyst at Shinhan Investment. Shares of AmorePacific and LG Household & Health Care, Korea's leading cosmetic makers, have been volatile on antimissile and economic concerns.
However, some analysts say that there is a tendency in the market to overinterpret the latest situation.
"Of course, Korea's exports to China are not absolutely immune to the negative effect of the antimissile defense. But China will not be able to raise barriers against already established Korean consumer brands with production facilities in the mainland," said Sue Han, analyst at KB Securities.
Korean brands, content and celebrities have been caught in the crossfire of a diplomatic spat between China and the U.S. as the world's two biggest economies have been locking horns in issues ranging from trade, currencies to regional sovereignty and defense.
China has openly expressed its discontent with Korea agreeing with the U.S. to station the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here, which China said was aimed at targeting the mainland's missile system, disagreeing with the U.S.-Korea ally's claim that it was a deterrent against North Korea's threat of its nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Nevertheless, China has been raising the ante against the U.S. as President-elect Donald Trump increased his rhetoric, calling China a currency manipulator that trades unfairly in the global market, with Korea and Taiwan feared of becoming pawns in the geopolitical power play between the two economic giants. Trump also upset China by directly contacting Taiwan, indicating that the U.S. could directly negotiate with the island nation.
China is seemingly increasing the scope of its retaliatory measures against Korean companies and their products in a move to reaffirm its hostility and opposition toward the deployment of the U.S. antimissile defense system here.
Following the ban of imports of Korean content such as TV soap operas and music, and celebrities' appearance in Chinese advertisements and cosmetics promoted by K-pop singers, China has disapproved air purifiers and toilet seats of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, Korea's two biggest consumer tech giants.
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced late last month via its website that it was prohibiting sales and distribution of eight foreign brands of air purifiers as they failed to meet its safety standards. Of the eight, half of them were from Korean companies including LG Electronics and Shinil Industrial.
This follows an earlier announcement by AQSIQ, which banned a total of 47 electronic toilet seats, yet again citing their failure in safety and performance. Of the 47 on the list, 43 were from Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics, while the rest were from Taiwan. AQSIQ inspected 106 products, and noted that a majority of those that failed to pass its test did not post caution and safety signs, according to the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS).
"Some of the products did not have signs that warned users to keep them away from children's reach, while others simply failed as they were not made tailored to Chinese safety and performance specifications," the KATS said in a statement.
Early this month, Chinese authorities disqualified 28 cosmetic products from being marketed and distributed in the mainland. More than half of those products were from Korea.
"The market needs to approach this conservatively, given the data showing shares of cosmetics falling and inbound Chinese tourists decreasing following the decision to deploy the U.S. antimissile defense,"said Park Sang-yeon, analyst at Shinhan Investment. Shares of AmorePacific and LG Household & Health Care, Korea's leading cosmetic makers, have been volatile on antimissile and economic concerns.
However, some analysts say that there is a tendency in the market to overinterpret the latest situation.
"Of course, Korea's exports to China are not absolutely immune to the negative effect of the antimissile defense. But China will not be able to raise barriers against already established Korean consumer brands with production facilities in the mainland," said Sue Han, analyst at KB Securities.
Korean brands, content and celebrities have been caught in the crossfire of a diplomatic spat between China and the U.S. as the world's two biggest economies have been locking horns in issues ranging from trade, currencies to regional sovereignty and defense.
China has openly expressed its discontent with Korea agreeing with the U.S. to station the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here, which China said was aimed at targeting the mainland's missile system, disagreeing with the U.S.-Korea ally's claim that it was a deterrent against North Korea's threat of its nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Nevertheless, China has been raising the ante against the U.S. as President-elect Donald Trump increased his rhetoric, calling China a currency manipulator that trades unfairly in the global market, with Korea and Taiwan feared of becoming pawns in the geopolitical power play between the two economic giants. Trump also upset China by directly contacting Taiwan, indicating that the U.S. could directly negotiate with the island nation.
