Korea to adopt new product quality mark

From: The Korea Herald | Jun. 30, 2009

Korea will introduce a new product certification mark to help consumers buy safe, quality products, the government said Tuesday, according to Yonhap News.

The Korea Certification or "KC" mark will replace 13 existing product identification labels and markings issued by five different ministries and agencies that have been cited for confusing consumers, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) said.

Existing product markings like "KS" and "KPS" are issued by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy through KATS, while labels for safety are issued by the labor ministry. The National Emergency Management Agency, the Broadcasting and Communications Commission and environment ministry also issue different certificates.

The new marking will be used starting Wednesday and be attached to 736 products such as automobiles, liquid crystal display TVs, refrigerators, rice cookers, baby carriages and house cleaning appliances. Seoul will permit a grace period of two years to allow existing marks to be used in tandem with KC, with complete unification of all such markings to start in 2011.

"The goal is to create a mark that will gain confidence not only in the country but abroad and bolster the high quality image of locally made products," said a official. He said the KATS will strive to make the KC mark, a symbol of quality on par with the "CE" mark used on European products and "PS" labels employed in Japan.

The standards agency said that for certain electrical products that need to get two state-issued certificates, Seoul will operate a "one-stop" service to reduce overlapping tests.

It claimed that once the new system is in place the time it takes to get the certificate will be cut by 27 percent, with costs coming down an average 66 percent compared to the present.