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:

  1. CB Test - performed by an accredited certification body (not mandatory, reference information)
  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

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

All local SGS laboratories 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:

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

SGS KC Certification Services

SGS Korea Limited, the subsidiary of the SGS Group, has the expertise to assist with compliance management and can help you make the right choices to access the Korean market, while carrying out the necessary testing and certification quickly and professionally.

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For more information, please contact:

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

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

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

SGS SA published this content on 21 March 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 21 March 2017 13:41:07 UTC.

Original documenthttp://www.sgs.com/en/news/2017/03/south-korea-kc-certification-for-electrical-and-electronic-products

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