The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) officially announced the implementation of a new rule that would harmonize existing amending safety requirements with the widely recognized and accepted IEC 62368-1:2018 standard on August 27, 2021.
Previously, KATS had three individual standards in place that all addressed the safety requirements around audio/video, information and communication technology equipment manufacturing: KC 60065, K 60950-1, and K 60950-22.
Now, newly proposed Electrical Appliance Safety Standard KC 62368-1 will replace all three standards when manufacturers are forced to comply by December 31, 2022, and those standards’ certificates will be rendered invalid.
All three main accredited certification bodies in South Korea, the Korea Testing and Research Institute (KTR), the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL), and Korea Testing Certification (KTC) are also adding this new standard to their accreditation requirements.
In order for a manufacturer to comply with this new electrical appliance safety standard’s requirements, they must start to perform safety compliance in accordance with KC 62368, otherwise their product will be removed from the market starting in January of 2023.
How Nemko Can Help
The consequences for not complying with this new directive could be substantial, which is why many Korean manufacturers have turned to a third-party certification body like Nemko to ensure their products are complying with all regulatory requirements. Nemko can work with South Korean manufacturers to perform safety testing procedures in accordance with KC 62368-1, as well as issue the Certified Body (CB) test report and documentation. As a global Certified Body, Nemko can help organizations gain certification for IEC 62368-1, which can be used for KC Safety Confirmation.