A government investigation found that children's costumes sold on overseas direct shopping platforms contained a large quantity of toxic substances.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced Friday that nine out of 17 tested costumes sold on AliExpress and Temu did not meet domestic safety standards.

The agency said three of the seventeen products it investigated contained a concentration of phthalate plasticizers or lead that exceeded the domestic standard, with some surpassing accepted levels by a factor of as much as 624.

Six out of 17 tested products for toddlers and children either included parts small enough to be choking hazards or did not have a warning label, in violation of safety standards.

The agency recommended that the two platforms suspend sales of all nine products. The platforms responded that they would do so and vowed to bolster product safety through their own testing.