Authorities on alert over deadly items available on foreign e-commerce platforms
Korean authorities have discovered that certain dangerous items, such as powder-actuated nail guns, which can pose threats to human life, are available for purchase through popular overseas online shopping platforms.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced the findings of its inspection, Monday, saying its officials are moving fast to formulate countermeasures against domestic consumers’ access to the dangerous products, which include pistol-style crossbows and scare guns used to deter birds as well as powder-actuated nail guns, whose imports are illegal here.
The NIS inspected the products sold at multiple overseas e-commerce platforms that have seen a rapid increase in the number of users in Korea. The agency did not disclose the names of the platforms, but they are believed to include players such as Amazon and AliExpress.
During its inspection, the NIS also confirmed consumers can easily purchase parts for hand-made
guns at those platforms.
“It is not easy to regulate overseas online shopping platforms as domestic laws can be hardly applied,” an NIS official said. “We found that some of the products could pass through customs without any restraints.”
The spy agency conducted experiments to test a powder-actuated nail gun and three kinds of guns made of parts purchased on the overseas platforms. All of these products were confirmed to be able to fatally injure humans.
The agency noted these DIY guns included a pipe-shape gun used to kill former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.
At the time, the attacker was believed to have made the weapon in a day or two after obtaining readily available materials such as wood and metal pipes.
The NIS said it is cooperating with the Korea Customs Service and other related agencies to prevent the life-threatening items from being carried in Korea, according to counter-terrorism laws.