Kukpyowon Begins Evaluation for International Validity Certification of Domestic Test Reports

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The National Institute of Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 14th that the regular international evaluation to maintain the international validity of test reports issued by domestic accredited testing and certification bodies will begin.

The Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with international accreditation organizations (ILAC·APAC) in 2000. Accordingly, KOLAS accredited test reports are recognized in 104 countries.

Domestically, 964 accredited institutions including Samsung Electronics Global CS Center and LG Chem Technical Research Institute issue up to 2.4 million accredited test reports annually, such as inter-floor noise test reports, battery safety test reports, and quarantine mask test reports. By having these accredited test reports recognized internationally, costs and time due to duplicate testing and certification have been saved, and the possibility of technology leakage caused by using local testing institutions has been prevented in advance.

This international evaluation is a regular evaluation conducted every four years to maintain such mutual recognition arrangements and will be conducted remotely due to the spread of COVID-19.

The evaluation targets include the quality system of the KOLAS secretariat organization and personnel, operational procedures operated by the National Institute of Technology and Standards, and the accreditation evaluation capabilities for domestic accredited institutions. Remote on-site evaluations for testing, calibration, and medical institutions will also be conducted. Evaluations will also be carried out on securing KOLAS’s fairness and expertise, and the implementation status of the transition of accredited testing institutions’ operational systems.

An official from the National Institute of Technology and Standards said, "We will do our best to participate in the international evaluation to further strengthen the reliability of domestic accredited institutions in the global market and enhance the status and value of KOLAS," and added, "We will expand domestic accredited institution recognition and international mutual recognition arrangements to support overseas exports in green new deal fields such as eco-friendly and energy, and new industry fields such as diagnostics and bio."

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