SEOUL, January 20, 2026 — South Korea’s Korea Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS), under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, has ordered a full recall of the “Speed Rope 181” jump rope manufactured by SW Sports (brand: Kim Soo-yeol Jump Rope) after safety inspections revealed lead content in the product’s metal components exceeded the legal limit by 367.9 times.

The company has halted all sales and launched a full product return, refund, and exchange program covering every unit produced, regardless of manufacture date.

The Safety Violation: Excessive Lead in Sourced Metal Parts

During winter-season product safety surveys conducted in December 2025, KATS detected lead levels reaching 36,792 mg/kg in the metallic rotating shaft connecting the handle to the rope — compared with South Korea’s mandatory safety limit of ≤100 mg/kg.

SW Sports confirmed in an official statement that the lead contamination originated from externally supplied metal connector parts, not from the rope itself or the main handle body. The company explained that the problematic component is a small internal shaft part, and that full verification of the supplier’s material composition and surface treatment is still underway.

Because the defective part cannot be identified by visual inspection alone, the company determined it was impossible to separate safe units from affected ones by production batch. To eliminate consumer confusion and ensure full safety, SW Sports decided to recall every Speed Rope 181 unit in circulation — with no cutoff by manufacture date.

Recall Implementation: Full Market Pull & Free Replacement

SW Sports began acting on the issue immediately after receiving KATS’ preliminary notice in October 2025, well before the official recall order was issued:

• All sales channels suspended: Products removed from the official website, Coupang, E-Mart, and all major retail and online platforms.
• Free return, refund, or exchange: Consumers may choose either a full refund or a replacement product. All shipping and return costs are covered entirely by SW Sports.
• Centralized claim process: Requests are accepted via an official notice and submission form on the company website.
• Government-wide safety alert: The product has been registered in South Korea’s Unsafe Product Sales Blocking System (UPSS), triggering automatic removal and warnings across all connected retailers nationwide.

Preventive Measures: Stricter Testing & Supply Chain Oversight

SW Sports has announced comprehensive quality control reforms to prevent recurrence:
• All product safety certification testing will now be conducted by the Korea Construction & Living Environment Testing Institute (KCL), an independent accredited laboratory.
• Incoming inspection protocols for outsourced metal components will be strengthened, with expanded screening for harmful substances.
• Supplier qualification standards and internal verification procedures will be overhauled to close gaps in supply chain oversight.

“Consumer safety is our highest priority,” SW Sports stated. “We will ensure this recall is carried out completely and transparently, while reinforcing our component verification and inspection systems to ensure this never happens again.”

Industry Implications: Supply Chain Blind Spots Exposed

This case highlights a critical challenge across the fitness equipment industry: quality and compliance risks in outsourced components. While brand-name manufacturers typically maintain rigorous testing for main assemblies, small purchased parts — fasteners, connectors, fittings — often slip through inspection, yet can pose extreme health risks when contaminated. Once detected, such defects are often untraceable by batch, forcing costly full-model recalls.

Regulatory bodies including KATS continue expanding safety monitoring for fitness and sports goods, with a growing focus on harmful substances in component materials. Industry analysts note that stronger supplier auditing, incoming-part testing, and third-party validation are rapidly becoming mandatory requirements rather than best practice.

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