Korea Certification (KC) is an important product safety certification standard for entry into the Korean market and applies to a wide range of consumer products, including electrical appliances, household consumer products and children's products. The purpose of this article is to introduce the KC certification related information, and provide certain compliance guidelines for related businesses.
What is KC certification?
KC (Korea Certification) is a national unified certification standard introduced in Korea in 2009, which aims to integrate different certification systems to ensure that products comply with Korean safety standards. The certification focuses on preventing and reducing potential hazards to consumer health and safety.
All products under mandatory supervision need to be KC certified before they can be sold in or imported into Korea. If a product is sold in Korea without proper KC certification, it may be subject to a recall order and the manufacturer, importer and/or seller may face additional financial penalties or even a sales ban.
The Korea Advanced Institute of Technology and Standards (KATS) is responsible for Korea's KC safety certification system, which is under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and sets the regulatory framework for the introduction of new consumer products. The organization is also responsible for developing new standards and representing Korea in the harmonization of international standards to ensure that Korean standards are generally consistent with international standards.
II. What are the types of accreditation?
In the KC certification system, there are three different types of certification for each product category, corresponding to "Safety Certification", "Self-regulatory Safety Confirmation" and "Supplier Declaration of Conformity", according to the level of product hazards from highest to lowest. Regulatory Safety Confirmation and Supplier Declaration of Conformity. Safety Confirmation is generally required for products that are recognized as having corresponding hazards, and Safety Confirmation is required for products that may have corresponding hazards. These three different types of certification are described below.
Safety Certification
"Safety Certification" certifies the safety of a product through product testing and factory inspection. This is the most stringent and complex type of KC certification. It requires not only testing of the product, but also an audit of the production site and regular follow-up inspections to keep the certification valid.
Safety certification process:
2. Self-Regulatory Safety Confirmation
The "Safety Verification" is the confirmation of compliance with safety standards through safety verification testing by an accredited organization. This type requires testing of the product and submission of an application to complete the certification process. This type of certification does not require a factory audit.
Security Confirmation Process:
3. Supplier Declaration of Conformity (SDOC)
"Supplier Confirmation of Conformity" (self-inspection) refers to demonstrating that a product complies with safety standards through self-confirmation, i.e., either by testing the product directly or by requesting a third party to test the product. In this category, manufacturers need to ensure that their products comply with Korean standards and can show proof of compliance. Often, testing in Korea is the easiest way to verify compliance. The confirmation of conformity does not have a certification number as it is not subject to a certification application.
Supplier Compliance Confirmation Process:
- Test standards for different products can be referred to:https://www.kats.go.kr/content.do?cmsid=304
What is the scope of controlled products?
Certain consumer products are often required to obtain KC certification in Korea if their use may pose a threat to the health and safety of consumers or cause pollution to the environment. Currently, KC certification applies mainly to electrical appliances, household consumer goods and children's products. Related laws such as the Enforcement Rules of the Electrical Appliance and Household Product Safety Control Act and the Enforcement Rules of the Special Act on Children's Product Safety provide detailed categorization and requirements for these products.
1. Electrical Products
Under the Electrical Appliances and Household Goods Safety Control Act, "electrical appliances" means industrial products and their parts or accessories that are used by connecting to alternating current or direct current electricity.
(1) Electrical products requiring safety certification
Electrical appliances that require safety certification are those that, due to their construction or method of use, are considered to have a high risk of causing fire or electric shock. These electrical appliances use an AC or DC power source of less than 1,000 volts and are included in the list of products in Appendix 3, item 1 of the "Enforcement Rules for Electrical Appliances and Household Items".
(2) Electrical appliances requiring safety confirmation
Electrical appliances that require safety certification are those that may pose a risk of fire or electric shock due to their construction or method of use. These electrical appliances use AC or DC power of less than 1,000 volts and are included in the list of products in Appendix 4, item 1 of the "Enforcement Rules for Electrical Appliances and Household Items". However, it should be noted that the components of power storage devices specified in item 3 of the list are rated for AC or DC power supplies of 1500 volts or less.
(3) Electrical products that require supplier's conformity confirmation.
Electrical appliances that require supplier's conformity certification are those that use AC or DC power supply below 1000 volts and are listed in Appendix 5, item 1 of the "Enforcement Rules for Electrical Appliances and Household Items".
Sellers can also refer to KATS Product Safety - Electrical Products and KATS Product Safety Information Center's guidelines for specific product ranges and labeling guidelines.
2. Household Consumer Goods
According to the Electrical Appliances and Household Goods Safety Control Act, "consumer goods for domestic use" refers to industrially produced products or their parts and accessories (excluding electrical appliances) that can be used in the daily lives of consumers without additional processing (excluding simple assembly).
(1) Household consumer goods requiring safety certification
Consumer goods requiring safety certification refer to those consumer goods that are considered to have a higher risk of harm to consumers' lives, bodies, property damage, or damage to the natural environment due to their structure, material, and method of use. Such products are listed in Appendix 3, Item 2 of the Product List of the Enforcement Rules for Electrical Appliances and Household Products.
(2) Consumer goods requiring safety confirmation
Consumer goods for household use that require safety certification. This refers to consumer goods that may pose a higher risk of harm to consumers' lives, bodies, property damage, or damage to the natural environment due to their structure, material, or method of use. These products are listed in Appendix 4, item 2 of the "Enforcement Rules for Electrical Appliances and Household Products".
(3) Consumer goods requiring supplier's conformity confirmation
Consumer goods requiring supplier's conformity certification are consumer goods that are unlikely to cause accidents or injuries during handling, use, transportation, etc., but are difficult for consumers to distinguish in terms of their composition, performance and specifications. These products are listed in Appendix 5, item 2 of the Enforcement Rules for Electrical Appliances and Household Items.
Sellers can also refer to KATS Product Safety - Consumer Goods for Home Use, Korea Institute of Technology and Standards (KATS) and the Korea KATS Product Safety Information Center's guidelines for specific product ranges and labeling guidelines.
3. Children's products (Products for children and infants)
Under the Children's Product Safety Act, a "children's product" is an article, or part or accessory thereof, used by a child under the age of 13. Except in the following cases:
Drugs and quasi-drugs as defined in Article 2 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law;
A medical device as defined in Article 2 of the Medical Devices Act;
Cosmetics as defined in Article 2 of the Cosmetics Act;
Tableware and food containers and packaging as defined in Article 2 of the Food Sanitation Act;
Entertainment facilities and entertainment equipment as defined in Article 33 of the Tourism Promotion Act.
(1) Children's products requiring safety certification
Children's products that require safety certification refer to children's products that, due to their structure, materials, and methods of use, are considered to pose a high risk of harm to children's lives, bodies, or property damage, and can be prevented from such harm through safety certification. Such products are listed in Schedule 1 of the Enforcement Rules for Children's Products.
(2) Children's products requiring safety confirmation
Children's products that require safety confirmation refer to children's products that may cause harm to children's lives and bodies due to their structures, materials, methods of use, etc., and that can be prevented from such harm through product testing. Such products are listed in Schedule 2 of the Enforcement Rules for Children's Products.
(3) Children's products requiring supplier's conformity confirmation
Children's products requiring supplier's confirmation of conformity refer to children's products other than children's products requiring safety certification and children's products requiring safety verification. Such products are listed in Schedule 3 of the Enforcement Rules for Children's Products.
Sellers can also refer to KATS Product Safety - Children's Products, Korea Institute of Technology and Standards and the Korea KATS Product Safety Information Center's guidelines for specific product ranges and labeling guidelines.
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