December 16, 2011
SEOUL (AFP) - A leading South Korean textile producer, Kolon Industries, said Friday it is recalling 3,000 outdoor jackets after excessive cancer-causing material was found on some of them.
Kolon will start the domestic recall Friday, a spokesman said.
Consumer Korea said the "Active" jackets contained as much as 20 times the permitted level of arylamine, a known carcinogenic.
The consumer group said it asked Kolon and its retailers early this month to recall the jacket and both agreed.
The Kolon spokesman said it took some time to conduct its own test on the jackets following the Consumer Korea report.
"It seems there was a problem with dyeing material while the jacket was being produced in China," he said.
South Korea's outdoor clothing market is the world's third largest after the US and Germany, according to G market, Korea's biggest online trading site.
It is growing fast as health-conscious people become more interested in outdoor activities.
