ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS ENTERING SOUTH KOREA ARE SUBJECT TO KC CERTIFICATION, A MANDATORY CERTIFICATION SCHEME WHICH ENSURES THAT ONLY PRODUCTS CERTIFIED BY ACCEPTED CERTIFICATION BODIES CAN ENTER THE KOREAN MARKET.
The scheme verifies safety as well as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Radio Frequency (RF) requirements.
SAFETY CERTIFICATION
Electrical appliances sold and manufactured in South Korea must be safe for consumers. Before being offered for sale, all electrical and electronic products importing into or manufactured within South Korea must undergo rigorous product testing and inspection to ensure they do not endanger the consumer through fire or electric shock. In addition, manufacturers undergo recurring factory inspections to verify that production standards are being maintained.
To receive KC Safety Certification, a product must follow these steps:
CB Test – performed by an accredited certification body (not mandatory, reference information)
Local Testing in Korea
Authority Review Application
Factory Inspections (if needed)
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
The legislation governing South Korean KC Safety Certification has recently changed. On January 28, 2017, Article 3 of Enforcement Rules of the Electrical Appliances Safety Control Act, the legislation which controlled electrical product safety, was replaced by the Electrical Appliances & Household Products Safety Control Act.
The new regulation include 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
ETA can perform the necessary tests for SDOC. Once they have achieved SDOC, Korean importers or manufacturers should report directly to the Korea Products Safety Association (KPSA) via their website.
Once a product has received KC Safety Certification, the KC logo and product certificate number must be printed on the product
KOREA KC EMC + RF CERTIFICATION
Information communication and telecom equipment being manufactured or imported for sale in South Korea, must have KC (RF+EMC), formerly known as KCC, approval. Consent is based upon Article 33 of the “Telecommunications Basic Act” and Articles 46 and 57 of the “Radio Waves Act”. The KCC (Korea Communications Commission) EMC/ RF/Telecom authority is now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).
Equipment specified in Article 3 of the “Regulation for Certification of Information and Communication Equipment” must be certified and affixed with the required label before being offered for sale on the Korean market. The label must 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.
To achieve KC Safety EMC + RF Certification, a product must follow these steps:
Technical File & Sample Checking
Product Testing in Korea
Issue Test Report
Certification