Over 500 KC·KS Certification Procedures Simplified in Two Months... "Daegu and Gyeongbuk New Reviews Restricted"

Simplification of KC Safety Certification Procedures for Electrical and Household Products
Extension of KS Certification Validity Period and Operation of Special Review Team

Lee Seung-woo, Director of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok]

#A battery import company in Seoul had to obtain the government’s Korea Certification (KC) safety certification to supply products, but faced the risk of disruption due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In response, the government took proactive administrative measures such as temporarily deferring factory inspections, and the company was able to deliver products without delay and successfully secured a contract worth 750 million KRW.

#An LED floodlight fixture manufacturer in Gyeonggi Province was facing difficulty participating in bids due to the upcoming expiration of its Korean Industrial Standards (KS) certification validity period. The government extended the KS certification validity period, and the company submitted the relevant documents to the Public Procurement Service, winning a bid worth 2.4 billion KRW.

#N Company, an LED lighting fixture manufacturer located in Daegu and Ulsan, requested a new KS certification inspection from the government. After undergoing a special inspection by a dedicated inspection team, the company obtained KS certification and secured a contract worth 200 million KRW. Although the government has been refraining from new KS certification procedures in principle due to COVID-19, this case was approved because the company urgently requested it to secure the contract.

On the 14th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s National Institute of Technology and Standards (NITS) announced that more than 500 administrative measures had been implemented within two months since simplifying KC and KS certification procedures for companies starting in February. KC and KS certifications are legally mandatory requirements and supply conditions for launching products in the market.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, NITS has taken administrative measures such as temporarily suspending factory inspections for KC safety certification and KS certification. Initially, these measures were intended only for China in early February, but on February 23, the domestic infectious disease crisis alert level was raised to “serious,” and from the 24th, the measures were expanded and implemented nationwide.

As of this month, 294 cases have been confirmed where KC certifications were issued or renewed after receiving factory inspection deferrals. For KC safety certification target items, both factory inspections and product tests were previously required, but since February, certifications can be issued or renewed by product testing alone. A total of 46 target items (37 electrical appliances, 5 daily necessities, 4 children’s products) have benefited.

KS certification factory inspections are suspended until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes. Accordingly, 236 cases have been identified where the existing three-year certification validity periods were extended. The KS certification simplification policy has been applied to a total of 802 target items (133 machinery types, 178 electrical and electronic types, 110 metal types, etc.).

Although new inspections for companies in Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and other areas are generally refrained from, if companies urgently request inspections for bidding or contract purposes, a special inspection team is dispatched to support KS certification inspections.

NITS stated that these measures are being evaluated as helping reduce the burden on companies and enabling smoother business activities. The measures will be maintained until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes. KC factory inspections and KS inspections will be gradually resumed in the future.

An NITS official said, “We will continue to actively identify and address on-site difficulties faced by domestic companies in the fields of standards, product safety, testing and certification, and technical regulation response to help them overcome the crisis.”

Companies wishing to receive information on these measures, domestic and international certification and standards, or corporate consultation services can use the “1381 Certification Standards Information Center.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.