Korean Certification (KC)

Introduction to Certification

On August 25, 2008, the South Korean Ministry of Knowledge and Economy (MKE) announced that the National Standards Board of Korea will implement a new national unified identifier, the "KC" identifier, from July 2009 to December 2010. The "KC" symbol means "Korea Certification". KC Certification is a mandatory safety certification system for electronic and electrical products in Korea, implemented by the Korean Institute of Technical Standards (KATS) on January 1, 2009, in accordance with the Electrical Appliances Safety Control Act.

To avoid duplicate certification, from July 1, 2012, EMC and Safety will be managed separately. For electronic and electrical products applying for Korean certification, they must obtain KC certificates and KCC certificates (new MSIP) for their safety and electromagnetic compatibility requirements. There are two KC certified qualification certification institutions: Korea Institute of Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic Testing and Research (KTC), Korea Testing Certification)， Korea Industrial Technology Testing Institute (KTL), Korea Electrical Testing Institute)。 These two are not only KC's certification agencies, but also qualification testing laboratories.

In terms of safety standards, all products entering the Korean market must comply with the Korean Safety Standard K standard (similar to the IEC standard). When using the IEC standard, it is necessary to meet the requirements of Korea. National differences can be found in the announcements in the IECEE CB system. In terms of EMC, Korean EMI standards are similar to CISPR standards, while EMS standards are similar to EN standards.

Classification of certification system

Korean KC certification is divided into "KC Safety", "KC EMC and RF", and "MEPS"

（1） KC Safety

In order to prevent consumer safety accidents such as electric shock and fire, a safety management system for electrical appliances has been implemented. Only products that have been confirmed are allowed to leave the factory and be sold. According to the latest Electrical Appliance Safety Management Law, KC Safety certification is divided into three categories based on the different levels of product hazards:

·Mandatory Safety Certification

·Self regulatory Safety Confirmation

·Supplier Self Confirmation (SDoC)

Certificate validity period:

1. Mandatory safety certification - None, annual audit to maintain validity (as shown in the following template)

2. Self regulatory safety confirmation -5 years

3. Supplier Self Confirmation - Without a certificate, the confirmation letter is permanently valid

Factory inspection requirements: Mandatory safety certification requires first factory inspection and annual audit

The holder requires that mandatory safety certification must be held by the factory, and the other two types of certification can be held by the factory/manufacturer/importer.

（2） Electromagnetic compatibility&RF radio frequency certification (KC EMC and RF)

Ensure that the equipment can operate normally in a certain electromagnetic environment, that is, the equipment should have a certain level of electromagnetic immunity (EMS); Secondly, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by the device itself should not have a significant impact on other electronic products.

KC EMC and KC RF certifications include electromagnetic compatibility testing, wireless radio frequency, and telecommunications testing. According to the latest requirements of the "Radio Wave Law", the certification system is divided into three categories based on the different levels of wireless environmental hazards caused by products:

·Certification of Conformity

·Registration of Compatibility

·Interim of Conformity

（3） Energy Efficiency Level (MEPS)

Energy efficiency level identification is an information label that represents performance indicators such as energy efficiency of a product. Its purpose is to provide necessary information for users and consumers to make purchasing decisions, in order to guide and assist consumers in choosing high energy efficiency and energy-saving products.