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Menstrual cups

Menstrual cups, which have been banned for manufacture and import in South Korea as sanitary aids, may be approved for official import and sale in the near future.

“We are currently in discussions with five to six businesses that hope to make or import menstrual cups, and one import business plans to submit a preliminary import permit application soon,” explained a Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) source on May 14.

During a preliminary review period lasting up to 55 days, MFDS plans to conduct a safety examination on the products the company hopes to import, with a permit to be issued if no issues are discovered. Once the company safely passes the preliminary review and official permit stage - with a legally designated 25-day deadline for processing - South Korean customers may be able to purchase menstrual cups by as early as July or August.

Menstrual cups are feminine hygiene products made of silicone that are inserted in the body to collect menstrual blood. They have become popular in Western countries as semi-permanent products at an affordable price of US$20-40 apiece.

The cups first began drawing attention in South Korea last year after reports of a low-income teenager who said she had placed a shoe insole into her underwear because she could not afford sanitary pads. But domestic sales have been prohibited because the products have yet to pass MFDS safety and effectiveness testing, forcing consumers to buy them directly from online stores overseas.

By Park Ki-yong, staff reporter

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