KC (Korea Safety Certification) Scheme
What is KC ?The electrical appliances safety certification system is in force based on “Electrical Appliances Safety Control Law” and electrical products can be manufactured and placed on market acquisition of safety certification. (Electrical appliances technical standard : apply “K standards” complying with international standard IEC standards)
Safety Confirmation
- Safety Certification
is a procedure to verify safety of electrical appliances by conducting product testing ensures whether subjected appliances are complying with relevant safety standards and factory inspection safeguards if factories continue maintaining quality of the appliances before placing the appliances on the market.
- Routine Inspection
is a follow up after certification procedure for safety certification bodies to check whether certified appliances continue maintaining the safety performances of relevant standards and requirements, and this stipulates conducting routine factory inspection minimum frequency of once per year with annual product verification testing, and the most representing product model from a category or a class among 11 different product categories or classifications certified shall be place to the testing in annual basis; fees and costs involved in all routine inspection procedures shall be paid by factories.
Self-regulatory Safety Confirmation
is an advanced certification management system under the amended Electrical Appliances Safety Control Act (enforcement on January 1, 2009), which classifies electrical appliances safety management system into mandatory Safety Certification and Self-regulatory Safety Confirmation in accordance with hazardousness level of appliances, and made appliances in lower risk of hazardousness level be subject to the Self-regulatory Safety Confirmation scheme, thus the factories can register their products to market them with less restriction.
- How to register for self-regulatory Safety Confirmation
After factories or importers take product testing from a safety certification body and register the relevant appliances to the safety certification body if the results verify the appliances are complying with the safety standards. Under this scheme, routine inspection (including routine factory inspection + Annual Product Testing), which shall take minimum frequency of once per year will be exempted; validation period of the registration is for five (5) years
| Items | Safety Certification | Self-regulatory Safety Confirmation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Testing | Safety Testing | ○ | ○ |
| EMC Testing | under control by KCC since 2012 | under control by KCC since 2012 | |
| Factory Inspection | Production & Inspection Facilities | ○ | Not applied |
| Incoming Material and Manufacturing Processes | ○ | Not applied | |
| Product Inspection | ○ | Not applied | |
| Certification – Registration | Issue Certificate | Issue Confirmation Registration Letter | |
| Routine Inspection (Annual Product Testing + Routine Factory Inspection | ○ | No Routine Inspection | |