South Korea Updates Legislation Governing KC Certification for Electrical and Electronic Products

All electrical and electronic products offered for sale in South Korea are subject to KC Certification, a mandatory certification scheme which ensures only products accredited by accepted certification bodies can enter the Korean market. The scheme verifies the products for safety, as well as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Radio Frequency (RF) requirements.

SAFETY Certification
Before an electrical or electronic appliance can be sold in South Korea it must demonstrate that it is safe for the consumer to use. Whether the product is imported into, or manufactured within, South Korea, it must undergo a process of rigorous testing and inspection to ensure it does not present a danger to the consumer through fire or electric shock. Manufacturers are also required to undertake recurring factory inspections to verify that production standards are being maintained.

To receive KC Safety Certification, a product must follow these steps:

1. CB Test – performed by an accredited certification body
2. Local Testing in Korea
3. Authority Review Application
4. Factory Inspections (if needed)
5. Certification is issued

The regulations also require that products conform to:

Safety Certification Validity for N/A Technical Ratings:
• 220 V, 60HZ
• Plug standard: KSC8305 or any one of IEC60083 A1-15, A5-15, C2b, C4, C1b, C3b, C6

A product that has received KC Safety Certification is required to display the KC logo and product certificate number on the product.

Recently, South Korea has altered the legislation governing KC Safety Certification. Prior to January 28, 2017, Article 3 of Enforcement Rules of the Electrical Appliances Safety Control Act controlled electrical product safety. Following this date, regulation for KC Safety Certification came under the Electrical Appliances & Household Products Safety Control Act.

The new regulation introduced several changes, such as:

• Enhanced penalties for persons who do not obtain a revised certificate when changing components, including up to three year’s imprisonment
• Allowance for importers to apply for Safety Certificate for products in quantities of less than 100 and one-time import needs
• Repeal of voluntary Safety Certification of products not subject to Safety Certification
• Period of factory inspections for Safety Certification reduced to once every two years
• Removal of period of validity for Safety Confirmation Certificate
• Establishing of a Safety Confirmation declaration system
• Establishing a Supplier Declaration of Conformity (SDOC) product declaration system

All SGS local laboratories can assist with the tests necessary for SDOC. Korean importers and manufacturers, once they have received SDOC, must report directly to the Korea Products Safety Association (KPSA) via their website. (http://www.ksafety.kr/).

Korea KC EMC + RF Certification
Information communication and telecom equipment manufactured or imported into South Korea, must have KC (RF+EMC) approval before it can be offered for sale. Formerly known as KCC, consent is based upon Article 33 of the “Telecommunications Basic Act” and Articles 46 and 57 of the “Radio Waves Act”. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) EMC/ RF/Telecom authority has recently come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).

Article 3 of the “Regulation for Certification of Information and Communication Equipment” specifies that equipment must be certified and affixed with the required label before being offered for sale on the Korean market. The label is required to include:

• Applicant name
• Product and model name
• Manufacture date
• Origin
• KC logo and KC(MSIP) number

In addition, the product’s user manual must be in Korean and should include all required and relevant statements.

KC Safety EMC + RF Certification follows these steps:

1. Technical File & Sample Checking
2. Product Testing in Korea
3. Issue Test Report
4. Certification

SGS KC Certification Services
SGS’s Korean subsidiary, SGS Korea Limited, can help with compliance management, undertake necessary testing and assist with certification in a quick and professional manner. Their experts can help you make the right choices to access South Korea’s market for electronic and electrical products.

For more information, please contact:

Tim Kim
SGS Testing Korea Ltd
Wireless Marketing & Sales Division
Tel: +82 31 428 5851

Ivy-Ih Liu
SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co., Ltd
EEC International Type Approval Officer
+86 755 25328888

Tina Chai
SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co., Ltd
EEC International Type Approval Officer
+86 755 25328596,6596

Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/ee

About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 90,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,000 offices and laboratories around the world.

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This release was published on openPR.