NISTIR 7905

A Primer on Korea’s Standards System: 

Standardization, Conformity Assessment, 

and Metrology

Dong Geun Choi

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.7905
NISTIR 7905

A Primer on Korea’s Standards System: 

Standardization, Conformity Assessment, 

and Metrology

Dong Geun Choi

Guest Researcher

Laboratory Programs

Standards Coordination Office

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.7905

January 2013

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Rebecca Blank, Acting Secretary

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Patrick D. Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director 
ii

Foreword

NIST, Standards Services of the Standards Coordination Office (SCO), provides standards-related 

expertise and services to strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life in the United States (US). 

Monitoring and providing standards-related activities of major U.S. trade partners is part of its mission. 

This NIST report provides U.S. industries and federal agencies with up-to-date information about the 

Republic of Korea’s (Korea) standards system.

In 2011, the Republic of Korea, or Korea, ranked as the 12th largest economy in the world by gross 

domestic product with purchasing power parity (GDP PPP) of 1.55 trillion dollars, and the 9th largest 

trading economy with over 1.27 trillion dollar trading volume. In that year, Korea was one of the major 

trade partners of the U.S. U.S. goods and services trade with Korea totaled $125 billion. In that year, Korea 

was the 7th largest goods trading partner of the U.S. with $100 billion in total (two way) goods trade. U.S.

exports of agricultural products to Korea totaled $7.0 billion, the 5th largest U.S. agriculture export market.

This report may help U.S. exporters and importers capitalize on trade opportunities created through 

the newly enacted US-Korea trade agreement on March 15, 2012 by briefly explaining how the 

Korean standards system works.

Even though Korea’s standards system is transitioning towards a public-private balanced system, it is

currently more public-sector-led or legislation-based similar to most of the developing and newly 

developed nations. It is not same as developed economies in Europe and North America. The 

difference may have originated from its history and development of industrialization. Understanding 

the roles and scope of legislation and institutions is cardinal to understanding Korea’s standards 

system as well as many other developing or newly industrialized countries. For instance, national

standards development and certification of Korea is legislated by the Industrial Standardization Act

of 1961 while those of the United States and most Western European countries are based on private 

sector development.

This report is intended to serve as a primer for outlining Korea’s current national standards system 

by addressing the three main pillars of national standards infrastructure – standardization, conformity 

assessment, and metrology. It includes descriptions of major laws and institutions responsible for 

each pillar or specific sub-functions central to the contemporary national standards system of Korea, 

as well as some of Korea’s policy agenda. The last section of this report contains the URLs of 

websites either frequently referenced in this report or useful for further information. 

The author of this report, Dr. Dong Geun Choi is a NIST guest researcher originally from Korean 

Standards Association (KSA) who has attached with the Standards Services of NIST from March 

2012 to Feb 2013.

Key Words

Korea, Standards System, Standardization, Conformity Assessment, Metrology, Legislation, Laws, 

Organizations, Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS), Korean Standards 

Association (KSA), Korea Research Institute for Standards and Science (KRISS)
iii

Table of Contents

Foreword............................................................................................................................................ ii

Acronyms...........................................................................................................................................vi

1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Purpose.......................................................................................................................................1

1.2 Existing references about Korean Standards System .................................................................1

1.3 Report Structure .........................................................................................................................2

2. Overview of Major Institutions and Laws in Standards Systems..............................................3

2.1 Major Laws ................................................................................................................................3

(a) Framework Act on National Standards: Structure ......................................................................4

2.2 Major Institutions.......................................................................................................................5

(a) KATS Organization Chart by Three Pillars of Standards...........................................................6

(b) KATS History, evolved from ATL in 1883...............................................................................7

(c) MKE History, evolved from MOC in 1948 ................................................................................7

2.4 Korean Standards System: At a Glance by Numbers.................................................................8

3. Standardization Pillar....................................................................................................................9

3.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................9

3.2 KATS - KS Establishment .......................................................................................................10

3.3 KSA – KS Dissemination and Sales.........................................................................................11

3.4 COSD – Designated SDOs for KS Development.....................................................................13

3.5 Other Private Sector SDOs in Korea........................................................................................13

3.6 International Standards Activities............................................................................................14

4. Conformity Assessment Pillar.....................................................................................................15

4.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................15

4.2 KS Certification and KS Mark .................................................................................................16

4.3 KOLAS – Accreditation of laboratories...................................................................................17
iv

4.4 KAS – Accreditation of Product Certification Bodies.............................................................18

4.5 KAB – Accreditation of Management System Certification Bodies........................................19

4.6 Beyond KS, Product Certifications and KC Mark ...................................................................20

(a) Electrical Appliances ...............................................................................................................21

(b) Consumer products ..................................................................................................................21

(c) KC Mark System since 2009 ....................................................................................................21

5. Metrology Pillar............................................................................................................................22

5.1. Overview.................................................................................................................................22

5.2. KRISS, as the national metrology institute (NMI)..................................................................23

5.3 KATS, KRISS and KASTO.....................................................................................................24

6. Current and Future Agenda: KNSP 2011-2015 ........................................................................25

Appendix A. Introduction to Korean Economy ............................................................................27

A.1 Korean Economy and Industry................................................................................................27

A.2 US-Korea Trade Facts.............................................................................................................29

Appendix B. Useful Online Resources............................................................................................30
v

Table of Figures

Figure 1 Organization Chart of KATS (source: www.kats.go.kr) ..........................................................6

Figure 2 Number of KS from 1962 – 2011 (source: KSA)..................................................................10

Figure 3 Organizational Chart of KSA (source: www.ksa.or.kr)..........................................................12

Figure 4 KS Certification Procedures (source: www.kats.go.kr).........................................................16

Figure 5 Organization chart of KOLAS (source: www.kolas.go.kr) .....................................................18

Figure 6 Organization chart of KAS (source: www.kats.go.kr).............................................................19

Figure 7 Structure of KAB (source: www.kab.or.kr )............................................................................20

Figure 8 Towards a Single Korea Certification Mark: KC Mark (source: www.kats.go.kr ) ...............21

Figure 9 Organization Chart of KRISS (source: www.kriss.re.kr) .......................................................24
vi

Acronyms

A2LA American Association for Laboratory Accreditation

AC Alternating Current (movement of electric charge)

ANS American National Standards (by ANSI)

ANSI American National Standards Institute

APEC Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

APLAC Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation

APMP Asia Pacific Metrology Program

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials 

ATL Analysis and Testing Laboratory 

CACPK Consumers Korea 

CGPM General Conference on Weights and Measures 

CIA Central Intelligence Agency (USA)

CIPM International Committee for Weights and Measures

CODEX Codex Alimentarius Commission

COSD Cooperative Standards Developing Organizations (Korea) 

CRM Certified Reference Materials

DOC Department of Commerce (USA)

DoS Department of State (USA)

EMS Environmental Management Systems (ex: ISO 14001)

FCC Federal Communications Commission (USA)

FDA Food and Drug Administration (USA, under HHS)

FDI Foreign Direct Investment

FITI FITI Testing & Research Institute 

G20 G-20 Major Economies

GDP Gross Domestic Product 

HHS Department of Health & Human Services (USA)

IAA Industrial Advancement Administration

IAAC InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation

IAF International Accreditation Forum

IAS International Accreditation Service (USA)

IEC International Electrotechnical Commission

ILAC International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation

IMEKO International Measurement Confederation 

IMF International Monetary Fund

ISC Industrial Standards Council
vii

ISCP International Standards Infrastructure Cooperation Program (Korea)

ISMS information security management system (ex: ISO 27000)

ISO International Organization for Standardization

ITU International Telecommunication Union (UN)

JIS Japanese Industrial Standards

KAB Korea Accreditation Board

KAFRI Korea Advanced Food Research Institute

KAS Korea Accreditation System 

KASTO Korea Association of Standards and Testing Organizations

KATS Korean Agency for Technology and Standards 

KBS Korean Bureau of Standards (past bureau of Korean Government)

KC Korea Certification

KCA Korea Consumers Agency

KCC Korea Communications Commission (Korean government)

KCL Korea Conformity Laboratories

KDI Korea Development Institute

KESI Korea Elevator Safety Institute 

KFDA Korea Food and Drug Administration (Korean government, under MW)

KLRI Korea Legislation Research Institute 

KNSP Korea National Standards Plan (KNSP) 

K-OHSMS Korea - Occupational Health and Safety Management System (ex: K-OHSMS 18001)

KOLAS Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (Korea, KATS) 

KOSTAT Statistics Korea

KRISS Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science 

KS Korean Industrial Standards

KSA Korean Standards Association

KSSN Korean Standards Services Network (Korea, KSA)

KTC Korea Testing Certification 

KTL Korea Testing Laboratory 

KTR Korea Testing & Research Institute 

MEST Ministry of Education, Science & Technology (Korea) 

MFE Ministry of Finance and Economy (past Korean government)

MIC Ministry of Information and Communications (past Korean government)

MIFAFF Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Korean government)

MKE Ministry of Knowledge Economy (Korean government)

MLA Multilateral Recognition Arrangement

MOC Ministry of Commerce (past Korean government)

MOFAT Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Korean government)
viii

MOST Ministry of Science and Technology (past Korean government)

MOTIE Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (past Korean government)

MRA Mutual recognition agreement, Mutual Recognition Arrangement

MW Ministry of Health and Welfare (Korea)

NCSRD National Center for Standard Reference Data (KATS, KRISS)

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA, DOC)

NISTIR NIST Interagency Report (USA, NIST)

NITQ National Institute of Technology and Quality (past Korean government)

NMI National Metrology Institutes (BIPM)

NP New Proposal, New Work Item Proposal (ISO, IEC)

NVLAP National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (USA, NIST)

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 

OIML International Organization of Legal Metrology

PAC Pacific Accreditation Cooperation

PASC Pacific Area Standards Congress

PPP Purchasing Power Parity (GDP)

QMS Quality Management System

RMISYS National Reference Materials Information Systems

RMP Reference Materials Producers

SC Sub-Committees (ISO, IEC)

SDO Standards Developing Organizations

SMBA Small and Medium Business Administration (Korea)

TC Technical Committees (ISO, IEC)

USDA Department of Agriculture (USA)

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNSD United Nations Statistics Division

USCB United States Census Bureau (USA, DOC)

USTR United States Trade Representative

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization

WTO World Trade Organization

WTO SPS WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

WTO TBT WTO Technical Barriers to Trade 
1

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

Korea is considered to have a relatively public-sector-led and legislation-based standards system, as many of 

newly developed countries and developing countries do, while many developed countries including the U.S. 

have more private-sector-led or less legislated systems. Such differences may arise from cultural, socioeconomic, and industrial development of the economy. For instance, in bilateral or multilateral cooperation 

meetings, a country with a private-sector-led standards system may often find difficulty in understanding the 

nature of a relatively more public-sector-led standards system of other countries, and vice versa. 

Examining industrialization periods shows there are differences between Korea and other advanced nations. 

Korea’s industrialization period began much later (1970-1989) and was of shorter duration (19 years) than 

those of major advanced countries – Netherlands (1840-1938, 98 years), Germany (1881-1949, 68 years), 

and the U.S. (1880-1934, 54 years)1. Korea’s industrialization had been led by its government and related 

statutes were legislated and public organizations were established accordingly. Because major activities of 

the national standards system are articulated by law and operated by government agencies or nongovernmental public organizations, an understanding of these institutions is more of a pre-requisite to 

learning Korea standards system than many other developed nations.

This report is intended to serve as a primer for outlining existing instruments of Korea standards system, 

focusing on relevant key laws and organizations. This report highlights objectives and contents of key 

legislations, and responsibilities and activities of major organizations in the area of standardization, 

conformity assessment, and metrology. Also, key policy issues and agendas are briefly highlighted. It should 

be noted that due to the nature of this report, much of its content is based on or excerpted from original 

statutes, annual reports and official websites of relevant institutions and systems. 

1.2 Existing references about Korean Standards System

There are limited references about the Korean standards system available in English. Except for websites of 

relevant organizations, only two publications are available – one by National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) in 2003 and the other jointly by Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) 

& Korean Standards Association (KSA) in 2011.

NISTIR 69602“Standardization and Conformity Assessment in the Republic of Korea” (Choe, 2003) – The 

NIST report is probably the only English publication publicly available about the Korea standards system. 

The NIST publication was authored by Dr. Gum Ho Choe, a NIST Associate originally from KATS who 

was working with the Standards Services Division of NIST at the time of the publication. The publication 

 

1 Yoo, J. (1997). The Impact of the Size of the Global Market on the Speed of Industrialization (in Korean) KDI 

Development Review, 19(2), 73-157. In the study, industrialization refers to when the population for agricultural 

industry of a country drops from 50% to 20%.

2

Full text is available at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-3/L2-8/L3-44/A-371
2

includes useful information covering Korea’s national standards strategy, national standards development 

and certification, and conformity assessment systems. 

KATS & KSA ISCP.PUBLICATION.023– “Introduction to National Standards System of Korea” – The

report was published jointly by KATS and Korean Standards Association (KSA) in 2011 as a part of 

International Standards Infrastructure Cooperation Program (ISCP). The publication includes seven major 

statutes for the Korean standards system both in Korean and English. It was not publically available as it 

was developed for internal reference purposes only. The joint KATS and KSA publication was a useful 

reference when preparing legislation related sections of this report describing the laws of Korea’s standards 

system.

Websites provide other useful references. Two notable websites are the official English website of KATS4

and the Standards Portal of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) with its section for Republic of 

Korea5, the contents of which were mostly contributed by KATS in cooperation with ANSI. 

English publications about Korean standards system are scarce, and existing publications are dated or 

provide only partial information rather than presenting a complete picture. In particular, none of the existing 

publications or websites describe the different roles of laws and institutions in a more comprehensive and 

comparative purpose. This report may provide a current and wider-ranging picture of Korean standards 

system. In particular, the scope and responsibility of major statutes and organizations are compared.

1.3 Report Structure

Section 2 of this report includes some figures and statistics of Korea, including its economic development 

and industrialization structure, science and technology. Section 3 presents an overview of the Korea 

standards system with a list of major organizations and statutes noting counterparts or equivalent 

organizations in the U.S. or international context. Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 highlight relevant 

legislation and organizations respectively for standardization, conformity assessment, and metrology. 

Section 7 summarizes current and future standards policy trends by summarizing Korean National 

Standards Strategy 2011-2015, which is followed by Appendix A. Introduction to Korean Economy and 

Appendix B. Useful Online References Resources.

“The state shall establish a system of national standards”

- Constitution of the Republic of Korea: Chapter IX. Economy – Article 127 (3) 

 

3 Hong, J.-I. (Ed.). (2011). Introduction to National Standards System of Korea (Vol. ISCP.PUBLICATION.02). Seoul, 

Korea: KATS & KSA.

4

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/main.asp

5

http://www.standardsportal.org/usa_kr/e/key_information/key_information.aspx
3

2. Overview of Major Institutions and Laws in Standards Systems

2.1 Major Laws 

In order to understand the national standards system of Korea, one may first start by recognizing the 

fundamental difference between Korea and the other countries, in particular the U.S. Korea has a more 

legislation-based national standards system, while the U.S. has a private sector led system. There is no 

overarching “standardization law” in the United States6even though there are several important federal laws 

and policies of the US including the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act. The list of 

relevant laws can be found at www.Standards.gov, a website managed by NIST7. 

Korea however has several laws framing its national standards system, and they are key instruments to 

understanding how the Korean standards system works. Table 1 presents six major statutes of Korea’s

national standards system. KATS is responsible for all the six laws, meaning that KATS is the most 

important government body in Korea’s national standards scheme. The two overarching laws in Korea are

Industrial Standardization Act of 1961 and Framework Act on National Standards of 1999. This report 

covers laws and institutions for the generic system under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE). 

There are many other laws specifying sector-specific regulations and compliances, such as the Framework 

Act on Broadcastings Communication Development, but such sector-specific laws are not within the scope 

of this report.

Table 1 Major laws in the Korean standards system (KATS is responsible agency for the laws) 8

Law Year Scope9

ST CA ME Short description

Framework Act on National 

Standards 1999 ○ ○ ○

management and coordination of national standards 

system

Industrial Standardization 

Act 1961 ○ ○

national standards (KS) development and 

conformity assessment (product quality)

Measures Act 1961 ○ legal metrology

Quality Control and Safety 

Management of Industry 

Product Act

1967

(2000) ○

conformity assessment (product safety and 

management systems)

Electrical Appliances Safety 

Control Act 1974 ○ conformity assessment (electrical product safety)

Framework Act on Product 

Safety 2010 ○

management and operation of national product 

safety system

 

6

Saunders, M. (2012, Jun 14, 2012). Standards: Federal Participation and Use. Paper presented at the Fundamentals of 

Standards and Conformity Assessment Washington, DC.

7

In particular, see http://standards.gov/upload/Federal_Engagement_in_Standards_Activities_October12_final.pdf

8 The English titles of the laws are those of Korea Legislation Research Institute (KLRI) 

9

In Table 1 and Figure 1, ST represents standardization sector; CA represents conformity assessment sector including 

accreditation, certification, testing, inspection; and ME represents metrology sector.
4

(a) Framework Act on National Standards: Structure

☞ Chapter I. General Provisions 

 → Article 1 (Purpose)

 → Article 2 (Scope of Application)

 “This Act shall govern economic and social activities in all areas, to which national standards based on science 

and technology shall be applicable mutatis mutandis.”

 → Article 3 (Definitions)

☞ Chapter II. Establishment of National Standards System 

 → Article 4 (Preparation of Various Policies)

 → Article 5 (Committee for Deliberation on National Standards)

 → Article 6 (Full Advancement of Resolutions of Deliberative Committee)

 → Article 7 (Establishment of Basic Plans for National Standards) 

 → Article 8 (Establishment of Plans for Implementation of National Standards)

☞ Chapter III. Advancement of National Standards System 

 → Article 9 (Classification of Units of Measurement)

 → Article 10 (Base Units)

 → Article 11 (Derived Units)

 → Article 12 (Measurement Units Outside International System of Units)

 → Article 13 (Representative Institute of National Measurement Standards)

 → Article 14 (Establishment of National Calibration System)

 → Article 15 (Certification and Diffusion of Standard Substances)

 → Article 16 (Establishment and Diffusion of Reference Standards)

 → Article 17 (Legal Weight and Measure)

 → Article 18 (Establishment and Diffusion of Industrial Standards)

 → Article 19 (Advancement of Projects for Establishment of National Measurement Standards)

☞ Chapter IV. Operation and Management of National Standards System 

 → Article 20 (Overall Control of National Standards System)

 → Article 21 (Establishment of Conformity Assessment System)

 → Article 22 (Product Certification)

 → Article 22-2 (Introduction of Examination System for Certification of Standards)

 → Article 22-3 (Certification of New Type of Products)

 → Article 22-4 (Introduction of Integrated National Certification Marks)

 → Article 23 (Accreditation of Testing and Inspection Institutes)

 → Article 24 (Certification of Quality Management Systems and Environmental Management

 → Article 25 (Reciprocal Accreditation of Conformity Assessment)

 → Article 26 (Enhancement of Cooperation in International Standards)

 → Article 27 (Support with Contributions)

 → Article 28 (Establishment of Foundation to Upgrade Industrial Structure)

 → Article 29 (Fostering Professional Human Resources for Technology of Standards)

 → Article 30 (Personnel Management of Public Officials in Charge of National Standards)

 → Article 30-2 (Establishment of Korea Testing & Research Institute)

 → Article 30-3 (Establishment of Korea Testing Certification)

 → Article 30-4 (Establishment of Korea Conformity Laboratories)

☞ Chapter V. Supplementary Provisions
5

2.2 Major Institutions

Table 2 presents seven major institutions of Korea’s national standards system. KATS is a government 

agency under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), and is the single most important institution 

shaping the Korean system. KATS is responsible for the full spectrum of national standards activities; while 

implementation or operations may be done by other non-governmental organizations empowered by KATS. 

KSA is a public institution10 registered in KATS, and its main responsibilities include KS (Korean Industrial 

Standards) certification, KS dissemination and promotion as well as being the national quality management 

promotion center. KATS operates two accreditation systems – Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme

(KOLAS) and Korea Accreditation System (KAS). KOLAS is responsible for accreditation of laboratories 

for calibration, testing, inspection, and reference materials while KAS is responsible for product certification 

bodies. Korea Accreditation Board (KAB) is a non-profit organization and responsible for accreditation of 

management system certification bodies. 

KATS is also responsible for legal metrology and it empowered the Korea Association of Standards and 

Testing Organizations (KASTO) to disseminate and promote legal metrology. Korea Research Institute of 

Standards and Science (KRISS) is a public institute registered in Ministry of Education, Science and 

Technology (MEST), and it mainly serves as the national metrology institute (NMI). KRISS also manages 

National Center for Standard Reference Data (NCSRD).

Table 2 Major institutions in Korean standards system11

Sub-Fields In Korea

(status)

In USA

(status)

The institutions 

are members in:

national standards development 

and approval KATS Gov.

ANSI12

+SDO

Almost 

Exclusively 

Private

ISO, IEC

PASC

national standards publication, 

dissemination (sales) KSA Public ANSI13+SDO Private ISO, IEC,

members

SDO accreditation

(registration in Korea) KSA Public ANSI Private –

* Communications Sector KCC Gov.

DoS

(FCC)

Gov. ITU

* Food Sector KFDA, MW,

MIFAFF Gov.

USDA,

HHS, FDA Gov. CODEX

* Technical Barriers to Trade MOFAT,

KATS Gov.

USTR,

DOC Gov. WTO/TBT

 

10 Public institutions in Korea, in this report, refer to one of the 286 institutions officially listed by Korean Ministry of 

Strategy and Finance (MOSF) as of 2012 drawing on the Act on Management of Public Institutions. Other non-listed 

organizations may be instead described as non-profit or private organizations.

11 For names and acronyms of the organizations, please see the ‘Acronym section’ of this report. 

12 ANSI does not develop standards, but accredits American National Standards (ANS) which are developed by its 

accredited Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs). Its accreditation procedures are available at www.ansi.org. ANSI 

is the US representative to ISO, IEC and PASC; but ANSI accredited SDOs are not.

13 ANSI provides a standards database and sells standards at www.nssn.org and webstore.ansi.org from over 180 

standards publishers. There are other private sector organizations that also maintain standards databases mostly in 

support of their standards sales operations including IHS Global, TechStreet (Thomson Reuters).
6

(a) KATS Organization Chart by Three Pillars of Standards 

KATS is a government agency under MKE, and it has 250 staff. KATS is led by the Administrator, who is 

assistant minister level, and four Director Generals of Bureaus, and 19 Division Directors. Figure 1 displays 

the major responsibilities of the 19 divisions under four bureaus by the three pillars of standards: 

standardization, conformity assessment, and metrology. The responsibility of Bureau of Technology & 

Standards policy and its five divisions are cross-pillars. The responsibility of Bureau of Product Safety 

Policy and its four Divisions are in conformity assessment, in particular product safety; while the 

responsibility of the Bureau of Conformity Policy and its four Divisions is in more general conformity 

assessment and metrology. The responsibility of Bureau of Knowledge Industry Standards is in national 

standards administration and participation in international standardization activities. 

Figure 1 Organization Chart of KATS (source14: www.kats.go.kr)

 

14 The tags of three pillars (ST, CA, ME) are added by the author
7

(b) KATS History, evolved from ATL in 188315 

KATS is the national standards authority of Korea on behalf of MKE. MKE delegates and entrusts the 

Administrator of KATS to serve for national standards through the article 32 (Delegation and Entrustment 

of Authority) of Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Standardization Act. The national standards authority 

of Korea has evolved since the Act was established in 1961:

1961 Oct~ : Korean Bureau of Standards (KBS), MOC (Joined ISO and IEC in June 1963)

1973 Jan~ : Korean Bureau of Standards (KBS), IAA

1996 Feb~: Korean National Institute of Technology and Quality (KNITQS), SMBA

1999 Jun~: Agency for Technology and Standards (ATS), MOCIE

2008 Feb~: Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS), MKE

KATS was originally established in 1883, as the Analysis and Testing Laboratory (ATL) under the auspices 

of the Mint Office. In 1946, it was renamed as Central Industrial Research Institute under the Ministry of 

Trade and Industry (MOTI). In 1973, it was merged as a National Industrial Standards Testing Institute

under the Industrial Advancement Administration (IAA) together with Bureau of Standards, MOC. In 1996, 

it was merged with the name of National Institute of Technology and Quality (NITQ) under the Small and 

Medium Business Administration (SMBA). In 1999, it became Agency for Technology and Standards (ATS) 

under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE). In 2008, its formal English name changed 

to Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE). 

(c) MKE History, evolved from MOC in 194816 

The Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) serves to establish national policy for commerce, 

industry, energy, FDI, R&D, and some information and communication technology. MKE was originally 

established in 1948 as the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) in the First Republic. In 1962, MOC established 

an external Bureau for Standards (KBS). MOC was merged with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the 

Ministry of Energy and Resources, as the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) in 1993. 

MOTIE was reorganized once again, as the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy (MOCIE) in 1998, 

after the government reforms of 1998, transferring the responsibility for international trade issues to the 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. MOCIE was reorganized as MKE in in 2008, merging some 

elements of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the Ministry of Science and 

Technology (MOST), and the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MFE) in order to enhanced government 

instrument capable of meeting new challenges of the 21st century. By the Industrial Standardization Act of 

1961, the MKE has the authority of Korean Industrial Standards (KS), its establishment and conformity 

assessment. 

 

15 History of KATS can be found at http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/about/KAEU01_2.asp?sub_menu=2

16 History of MKE can be found at http://www.mke.go.kr/language/eng/about/history.jsp. The Presidential election of 

Korea is scheduled in Dec 2012, and some experts carefully anticipate that another governmental restructuring is 

expected with new President. After the election, there is a possibility that MKE may have a new name in 2013. 
8

2.4 Korean Standards System: At a Glance by Numbers

Major figures of Korean national standards infrastructure are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3 Korean National Standards Infrastructure at a Glance by Key Figures

Items Status or Numbers Rank Source (year)17

KS number 23,923 – KATS (2011)

 - aligned KS 15,365 (with ISO, IEC) – KATS (2011)

KS technology councils 52 councils (543 experts) – KATS (2010)

 - expert committees 370 committees (4,493 experts) – KATS (2010)

KS certification 1,284 standards (items) – KSA (2011)

 - total certificates 10,284 (6,245 factories for 801 items) – KSA (2011)

 - overseas certificates 240 factories (for 117 items) – KSA (2011)

KOLAS accredited 630 laboratories (organizations) – KOLAS (Aug 2012)

KAS accredited 13 laboratories (organizations) – KATS (2010)

KAB accredited 35 organizations (companies) – KAB (Aug 2012)

Standard Reference data 44 Database (21 Data Centers) – NCSRD (2011)

Reference materials 658 – KRISS (2011)

Other Private Standards 1,882 standards by 106 SDOs – KSA (2011)

ISO Member Bodies (111) – ISO (Sep 2011)

 - TC P membership 709 (out of 737 TCs) – ISO (Sep 2011)

 - convenors 65 (out of 2,414 convenors) 12th ISO (Sep 2011)

 - secretariats 16 (out of 725 secretariats) 10th ISO (Sep 2011)

IEC Full members ( 60) – IEC (Aug 2012)

 - TC P-membership 142 (out of 174 TCs) 10th IEC (Aug 2012)

 - chairs 1 (out of 291 chairs) 20th IEC (Aug 2012)

 - secretariats 4 (out of 187 chairs) 10th IEC (Aug 2012)

 - NP proposal 19 (out of 144 NP proposals) 3

rd IEC (Aug 2012)

ISO 9001 certificates 24,778 (increase in 2010: 1,378) 10th ISO Survey (2010)18

ISO 14001 certificates 9,681 (2010: 1,838) 10th ISO Survey (2010)

TS 16949 certificates 4,014 (2010: 157) 2

nd ISO Survey (2010)

ISO 13485 certificates 500 (2010: 157) 5

th ISO Survey (2010)

 

17 The figures of the table are mostly attained from official websites of mentioned institutions unless indicated 

otherwise. Most of websites provide the data in Korean only.

18 ISO Survey of Certifications, for 2010, published in Dec. 2011 (http://www.iso.org/iso/iso-survey2010.pdf) 
9

3. Standardization Pillar

3.1 Overview

KS, National standards of Korea, are managed by KATS, whose responsibility was delegated and entrusted 

by MKE drawing on Industrial Standardization Act and its Enforcement Decree as noted below. KSA is 

responsible for publishing and disseminating KS by the same law.

☞ Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Chapter II. Korean Industrial Standards – Article 5 (Establishment, etc. of Industrial Standards)

 “The Minister of Knowledge Economy may establish, amend, or abolish industrial standards...”

 → Chapter V. Korean Standards Association – Article 34 (Functions of Association)

 “The Association shall conduct the following activities: .... 1. Publication and dissemination of Korean 

Industrial Standards and publications, and promotion for implementing...”

☞ Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Article 32 (Delegation and Entrustment of Authority)

 “Ministry of Knowledge Economy shall delegate .....the authority to the Administrator of Korean Agency for 

Technology and Standards...”

Table 4 displays major institutions by fields of standards, in comparison to those of United States and 

related international organizations. 

Table 4 Major institutions in Korean standardization system

Sub-Fields In Korea

(status)

In USA

(status)

The institutions 

are members in:

national standards development 

and approval KATS Gov.

ANSI19

+SDOs

Private ISO, IEC

PASC

national standards publication, 

dissemination (sales) KSA Public ANSI20,21+SDOs

Private ISO, IEC,

members

private SDO registration22

(accreditation in the USA) KSA Public ANSI Private –

 

19 ANSI does not develop standards, but accredits American National Standards (ANS) which are developed by its 

accredited Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs). Its accreditation procedures for standards and SDOs are available at 

www.ansi.org.

20 ANSI provides a standards database and sells standards (www.nssn.org and webstore.ansi.org) from over 180 

standards publishers. Individual standards developing organization may also sell their own standards.

21 It is also important to note that the context of national standards. In the case of Korea and many other countries, the 

phrase “National Standard” has a very specific connotation, which is not the case in the USA.

22 For more information, see Section 3.5 
10

3.2 KATS - KS Establishment 

Based on the Industrial Standardization Act, KATS organizes and manages a high-level ‘Industrial 

Standards Council (ISC)’, 52 technology councils composed of 543 experts at the next level, and 370 expert 

committees composed of 4,493 experts at the lowest level. The Industrial Standards Council may approve 

KS based on the recommendations from technology councils and expert committees. Expert committees 

often function as mirror committees and counterparts to the technical committees (TC) or sub-committees 

(SC) of ISO and IEC. 

Figure 2 shows total number of KS from 1962 to 2011. The first 300 KS standards were published in 1962, 

and by the end of 2011 the number has grown to 23,923 KS standards. 

Figure 2 Number of KS from 1962 – 2011 (source: KSA)

KS may be grouped into three types of standards as follows. Product standards specify improvement, 

measurement and quality of product. Procedure standards stipulate testing, analysis, inspection, 

measurement method and process standard, etc. Horizontal standards specify terminology, technical 

characteristics, unit and numerical progression, etc. The 23,923 KS are composed of 7,576 product 

standards, 8,540 procedure standards, and 7,807 horizontal standards. 

KS is also classified into 21 sectors to help users. Table 5 presents the 21 KS sector codes including (A) for 

basic, (B) for mechanical engineering, (Q) for quality management, (S) for services, to (X) for Information

sectors. For instance, in service sector (S), the number for “Call Center Services” standard is KS S 1006-1: 

2006.

(Year)

(Number of KS)
11

Table 5 Number of KS by the Classification Code (as of Dec 2011, source: www.ksa.or.kr)

Sector No. of 

Standards

Sector No. of 

Standards

1. Basic Standards (A) 744 12. Ceramics (L) 475

2. Mechanical Eng. (B) 4,149 13. Chemistry (M) 3,465

3. Electrical & Electronic Eng. (C) 3,832 14. Medical (P) 760

4. Metals (D) 1,633 15. Quality management (Q) 123

5. Mine (E) 440 16. Transport machine (R) 1,067

6. Construction (F) 858 17. Service (S) 113

7. Necessities (G) 383 18. Logistics (T) 319

8. Foodstuffs (H) 526 19. Shipbuilding (V) 834

9. Environment (I) 672 20. Aerospace (W) 522

10. Organism(J) 78 21. Information (X) 2,039

11. Fiber (K) 891 Total: 23,923

3.3 KSA – KS Dissemination and Sales

☞ Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Chapter V. Korean Standards Association – Article 34 (Functions of Association) 

 “The Association shall conduct the following activities:

 1. Publication and dissemination of Korean Industrial Standards and publications, and promotion for 

implementing Korean Industrial Standards;

 2. Collection and dissemination of international and foreign standards and various other standards; 

 3. Investigation, research, development, promotion, diagnosis, guidance, and training on industrial 

standardization and quality management;

 4. Accreditation and evaluation promoting industrial standardization and quality management; 

 5. Support for collective standardization activities; 

 6. Support for international standardization activities;

 7. Other services entrusted by the Minister of Knowledge Economy or determined by the articles of 

incorporation.”

KSA provides KS standards at a low price online (KSSN network) and offline (printed copy) for producers 

and consumers. To enable industries and consumers to encourage introduction and understanding of KS and 

KS mark certification system, KSA publishes and distributes various kinds of information and makes efforts 

to broadcast the importance of its standardization program and the system in TV, newspaper and radio. In 

the Industrial Standardization Act revised to promote utilization of KS in Feb. 5, 1999, it was prescribed 

that companies financed by national and local self-governing bodies, governmental investment institutes, 

public agencies, and Korea Development Bank shall observe the KS standards relating to procurement of 

materials and services, production management and facilities construction. 

KSA holds anniversary events on "World Standards Day" in coordination with KATS. It awards prizes or 

medals to good companies which contribute to the introduction and application of standardization as well as 

to people of merit in standardization to enhance the recognition of standardization. 
12

Korean Standards Service Network (KSSN, www.kssn.net) is a standard information portal service which 

was developed as a part of the Technology Infra Foundation Program formed by Ministry of Commerce, 

Industry and Energy. It contains huge amounts of data-based standards information including written 

standards, measurement standards and reference standards as well as conformity assessment, trends in

standardization and international and private standardization activities.

KSSN Web-Store service provides not only Korean Industrial Standards (KS), but ISO, IEC, JIS, ASTM 

standards under the information agreement with international and foreign standardization institutes online. 

KATS also provides a standards information portal for informational purposes. (www.standard.go.kr) 

KSA has 4,500 member companies, and its 2011 budget was around 80.6 million U.S. dollars. KSA has 

over 300 full-time staff and its offices are located in Seoul, in 13 local cities as well as in Beijing, China. 

One of the KSA’s missions is to develop human resources in standards and quality. KSA trains 

approximately 25,000 experts with around 400 courses every year. The organizational chart of KSA is 

displayed in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Organizational Chart of KSA (source: www.ksa.or.kr)
13

3.4 COSD – Designated SDOs for KS Development 

☞ Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Chapter II. Korean Industrial Standards – Article 5 (Establishment, etc. of Industrial Standards) 

 “(3) Where necessary for an efficient promotion of the establishment and amendment of industrial standards, 

the Minister of Knowledge Economy may designate any juristic person or organization conducting affairs 

related to industrial standardization as a cooperative organization for the development of industrial 

standardization and utilize it.” 

KATS has introduced a Cooperative Standards Developing Organizations (COSD) scheme in order to 

efficiently develop national KS by improving the standardization capacity of the private sector. In its long 

term plan, KATS plans to transfer its responsibility in standards development and management from KATS 

to private professional organizations or trade associations.23

As of June 2011, 44 organizations have been designated as Cooperative Standards Developing 

Organizations (COSD) – 14 organizations were first designated in 2008, 23 organizations in 2009, and 12 

organizations in 2010. The 49 organizations were reduced to 44 because of mergers of five organizations.

3.5 Other Private Sector SDOs in Korea

☞ Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Chapter IV. Promotion of Industrial Standardization – Article 27 (Establishment, etc. of Collective 

Standards) 

 “(1) Any organization determined by Ordinance of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, from among those 

related to industrial standardization, may establish standards for symbols, terms, functions, procedures, 

methods, technology, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "collective standards") applicable to specific 

professional field in order to secure the public safety, protect consumers and strive for convenience of 

members..” 

In the statute above, ‘collective standards’ refers to domestic private sector SDOs. KSA was designated as 

secretariat office to register ‘collective standards’ in 2004. The number of standards registered by KSA has 

increased from 1,188 standards in 2004 to 1,878 active standards in Aug 2012. SDOs should prove that the 

standards are developed in fair, open, and consensus-based process in order to register their standards in the 

KSA database. These SDOs include small to medium and large size of organizations such as Korea FireFighting Escapement Industry Cooperative (KFEIC, 2 standards registered), Korea Agricultural Machinery 

Industry Cooperative (KAMIC, 111 standards), Korea Electric Association (KEA, 345 codes), Korea 

Education and Research Information Service (KERIS, 29 standards). 

 

23 Technology Standards White Paper 2011 (KATS)
14

3.6 International Standards Activities

☞ Framework Act on National Standards:

 → Chapter IV. Operation and Management of National Standards System – Article 26 (Enhancement of 

Cooperation in International Standards) 

 “The Government shall endeavor to maintain or strengthen cooperative relationships between domestic 

standards-related agencies and international standards organizations or foreign standards agencies and 

promote exchanges of science and technology.” 

☞ Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Chapter IV. Promotion of Industrial Standardization – Article 29 (Promotion of Cooperation in 

International Standardization) 

 “...(2) In order to promote cooperation in international standardization, the Minister of Knowledge

Economy shall conduct the following activities: 

 1. Promotion of investigation, research, dissemination and use of international standards;

 2. Investigation and research for cooperation in international standardization;

 3. Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cooperation in exchange of human resources 

and standardization;

 4. Other projects deemed necessary for promoting cooperation in international standardization by the

Minister of Knowledge Economy” 

The two major Korean statues specify the responsibility of government in participating and monitoring 

international standards activities. Korea joined the ISO and IEC in 1963 led by the Korean Ministry of 

Commerce, and joined the ITU in 1952, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
15

4. Conformity Assessment Pillar 

4.1 Overview

The two following statutes specify that the government shall establish and promote a conformity assessment 

system – accreditation, certification, testing, inspection, and related management. 

☞ Framework Act on National Standards:

 →Article 21 (Establishment of Conformity Assessment System)

 (1) The Government shall endeavor to promote projects for accreditation and certification of the conformity 

assessment system and to make the conformity assessment procedure conform to international guidelines and 

international standards (hereinafter collectively referred to as "international norms").

 →Article 22 (Product Certification, etc.)

→Article 22-4 (Introduction of Integrated National Certification Marks) *KC Mark

 →Article 23 (Accreditation of Testing and Inspection Institutes)

 →Article 24 (Certification of Quality Management Systems and Environmental Management Systems)

☞ Industrial Standardization Act:

 → Article 13 (Designation of Certification Institutions)

 → Article 15 (Certification of Products), Article 16 (Certification of Services)

 → Article 17 (Certification Inspection)

Table 6 presents one KS certification body, KSA, and three accreditation bodies for laboratory, product, and 

management systems in Korea. KATS administers KOLAS and KAS; the ‘conformity policy division’ of 

KATS is responsible for KOLAS and its ‘metrology and measurement division’ is for KAS (see Figure 1). 

KAB is a private organization entrusted by KATS, and its activities are coordinated with the ‘certification 

industry promotion division’ of KATS. 

Table 6 Major institutions in Korean Conformity Assessment System

Sub-Fields In Korea

(status)

In USA

(status)

The Institutions 

are members in:

Certification Bodies for 

National standards (KS) KSA Public – – –

Accreditation for laboratory KOLAS

(KATS) Gov.

9 Org.24

(ex. NVLAP)

Public

& 

Private

ILAC,

APLAC, IAAC

Accreditation for product

certification

KAS

(KATS) Gov.

3 Org25 (A2LA, 

ANSI, IAS) 

Public

& 

Private

IAF, PAC, IAAC

Accreditation for 

management system KAB Private ANAB Private IAF, PAC

IAAC

 

24 This table includes nine U.S. domiciled accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA.

25 This table includes U.S. domiciled accreditation bodies that are signatories (full member) to the IAF MLA.
16

4.2 KS Certification and KS Mark

KS certification scheme provides government agencies, local governments, government investment

corporations and public organizations with the benefit that they can preferentially purchase products and 

services by KS-certified companies in accordance with the Article 25 of Industrial Standardization Act.

Launched in 1962, the KS certification system has operated for as long as Korea’s industrialization process. 

Just as Korea’s industrial structure developed into a highly sophisticated, knowledge-intensive industry in 

the 21st century, KS certifications also prepared for the future. First, KSA expanded the KS certification in 

future promising industries as new growth engines. Certification in green industries such as LED lighting 

has started recently, and has been extended to IT, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries. KS certification is 

looking for ways to play its role anew vis-a-vis safety, environment-friendliness, social responsibilities, 

enhancement of energy efficiency, and consideration of the aged and the disabled, which are emerging as 

social issues. 

The use and certification of KS has been extended to some of our trade partners, and a total of 278 items 

from seven countries received KS certification as of the end of 2008; standards and audit criteria are 

increasingly aligned with international standards. Such transformation of KS certification will further 

promote citizens’ benefits and lead to the continuous development of Korea’s industries. 

(a) Product Certification (b) Service Certification

Figure 4 KS Certification Procedures (source: www.kats.go.kr)

Product Certification – KS certification scheme for products is the system of certifying that a certain 

product regulated in relevant standards has passed product testing, factory inspection and auditing according 

to the criteria of relevant KS based on the Article 15 of Industrial Standardization Act, allowing it to display 
17

the KS mark on their product, packaging, container, statement of delivery warranty and/or promotional 

materials. (Figure 4-(a))

Service Certification – KS certification scheme for service is designed to ensure that the service provider 

who passes the onsite and service quality audit in accordance with the audit criteria of the relevant KS under 

the Article 16 of Industrial Standardization Act is allowed to indicate the KS mark on the contract, statement 

of delivery, warranty and/or promotional materials. (Figure 4– (b))

Audit Criteria for Certification – There are regulations for implementing certification audits on products

and services by relevant standards. Audit criteria for certification include manufacturing equipment, 

inspection facility and procedure, quality management, as well as technical conditions for quality assurance. 

This section is based on, and more information can be found at the following links:

▷ http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/standard/KAEU03_2.asp?sub_menu=2

▷ http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng02_04.jsp; http://www.kssn.net/English/

▷ http://www.standard.go.kr/CODE02/USER/0D/01/CtnInf01.asp (Korean)

4.3 KOLAS – Accreditation of laboratories 

The Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) is the governmental accreditation body established 

on December 8, 1992 and administered by the Korean Agency of Technology and Standards (KATS). The 

KOLAS Secretariat, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of KOLAS is currently operated by the 

‘Conformity Assessment Division’ of KATS for accreditation of testing, calibration laboratories and 

inspection bodies. The division resides within the Bureau of Conformity Policy of KATS and the 

Administrator of KATS represents KOLAS externally. The organization structure of KOLAs is displayed in 

Figure 5.

KOLAS has been actively participating in the international activities relating to testing and calibration in 

cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Laboratory Cooperation (APLAC) and the International Laboratory 

Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). KOLAS signed Asia-Pacific Laboratory Cooperation Mutual 

Recognition Arrangement (APLAC MRA) in Sydney on October 23, 1998 for testing and May 22, 2001 for 

calibration. Since then, members of the APLAC MRA have expanded from 17 to 27 economies. KOLAS is 

also a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement 

(ILAC MRA) which was signed in Washington DC on November 2, 2000. It now involves 73 member 

bodies. The ILAC arrangement will provide technical underpinning to international trade by promoting 

cross-border stakeholder's confidence and acceptance of accredited testing and calibration results. 

To improve work efficiency of the KOLAS secretariat, KOLAS is operating e-KOLAS, a service 

established to shorten the period required for application and assessment procedures, provide faster services 

and promote the qualitative enhancement of all KOLAS business affairs from application to announcement 

of the accreditation. 
18

Four KOLAS publications are available in English at its website. These include the following: 1) 

KOLAS-R-001 Regulations for Accreditation of Calibration Laboratories; 2) KOLAS-R-002

Regulations for Accreditation of Testing Laboratories and Inspection Bodies; 3) KOLAS-R-003

Regulations for Proficiency Testing Scheme; 4) KOLAS-R-004 Regulations for Accreditation 

and Assessment of CABs. More information can be found at http://www.kolas.go.kr/english/

Figure 5 Organization chart of KOLAS (source: www.kolas.go.kr)

4.4 KAS – Accreditation of Product Certification Bodies 

Korea Accreditation System (KAS) is a national accreditation body established in 2001 within the 

framework of KATS, and the Administrator of KATS serves as the Head of KAS. KAS provides 

accreditation for product certification bodies in the fields of electric apparatus, gas appliances, renewable 

energy equipment, metals, ceramics, chemicals and plastics which are not subject to the current mandate.

KAS joined PAC MLA in July 2007 and IAF MLA in October 2007 for products. KAS consists of the 

Head of KAS, Accreditation Review Committee, Accreditation Planning Committee, Training Committee, 

Technical Committees and the Secretariat as shown in Figure 6.

The main mission of KAS is to improve the accreditation system in order to ensure qualitative growth and 

competitiveness of the accreditation service; to guarantee the compliance of international standards and 
19

enhance accreditation service; to properly respond to the demands by stakeholders in the accreditation 

service and improve the reliability and value of accreditation service; and to implement effective and 

reliable accreditation service and train personnel. More information can be found at

http://www.kats.go.kr/kas/english/index.asp

Figure 6 Organization chart of KAS (source: www.kats.go.kr)

4.5 KAB – Accreditation of Management System Certification Bodies

Korea Accreditation Board (KAB) was established on September 28, 1995 in accordance with the 

government's policy of non-governmental operation for Quality and Environmental Management System 

certification. KAB is a sole national accreditation body recognized by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy 

MKE, and operates the accreditation programs of management systems certification bodies and of personnel 

certification bodies. A company or person intended to be certified shall conform to certification criteria or 

standards required by the certification scheme concerned, while conformity assessment bodies, management 

system certification bodies and personnel certification bodies shall be operated in an objective, independent 

and impartial manner.

KAB became signatories of the IAF MLA in 1999 for quality management systems (QMS) and in 2003 for 

environmental management systems (EMS) after successful evaluation by a peer evaluation team, which 

made ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates accredited by KAB recognized in the countries who are
20

members of the IAF MLA. In addition, to meet market needs of industry specific quality as well as other 

management systems, KAB operates accreditation programs for TL 9000, K-OHSMS, ISMS, and ISO

22000 etc. with the support of Ministry of Knowledge Economy (previously the Ministry of Commerce, 

Industry and Energy (MOCIE)). 

KAB provides accreditation activities and surveillance of certification bodies for management systems and 

people, and carries out MLA activities for international recognition as well as other services for certification 

development such as research & development, dissemination and publication. KAB's source of revenue is 

service charges from its own business. For the organization structure of KAB, please see Figure 7. The 

accreditation criteria for ISO 9001 certification bodies, ISO 14001 certification bodies, management system 

certification bodies, and administrative templates are available online in its website. More information can 

be found at https://www.kab.or.kr/English/kab/kab_service.html

Figure 7 Structure of KAB (source: www.kab.or.kr ) 

4.6 Beyond KS, Product Certifications and KC Mark

Other than KS certification, there are three important conformity schemes in Korea. Two of them are 

electrical appliances and consumer products based on two different laws. Also, an integrated marking 

system, KC mark, is based on the Framework Act on National Standards.
21

(a) Electrical Appliances 26

To protect consumers from hazards and accidents such as a fire, electric shock or injury, the Electrical 

Appliances Safety Control Act was enacted in 1974. The listed electrical appliances in the Act rated 

between AC 50V to 1000V are controlled by the Act. 

(b) Consumer products 27

A safety certification scheme for consumer products is designed to prevent consumers from safety accidents 

or physical injury caused by consumer products such as metal blades for portable brush cutters and 

children's goods such as toys (Quality Management & Safety Control of Industrial Products Act). This 

scheme is mandatory safety certification that domestic and foreign manufacturers from safety certification 

bodies prior to the delivery of products. The statute regulates that consumer products product test and 

factory inspection shall be conducted to ensure the safety of consumer products.

(c) KC Mark System since 200928

Diverse or overlapping certification marks may have caused confusion among consumers, and have also 

proven costly and time consuming for businesses. To resolve such issues, KATS revised the Framework 

Act on National Standards and its Enforcement Decree and introduced its national integrated certification 

mark on July 1, 2009. KS Mark system is designed to protect public health and safety, and companies are 

required to obtain prior certification from authorized bodies before they can put certain products on the 

market. Items subject to legally compulsory certification are specified in related laws and ordinances 

pertaining to safety, health, environment and quality.

In this context, KC Mark was introduced as one single Korea Certification mark to integrate and unify all 13 

existing legally compulsory certification marks (see Figure 8). KC Mark may reduce the number of 

standard certification audit systems from 20 to 9 based on international standards (ISO/IEC Guide 67). The 

MKE introduced the KC mark system on July 1, 2009, and the systems have been implemented on January 1, 

2011, with the participation of other responsible ministries.

Figure 8 Towards a Single Korea Certification Mark: KC Mark (source: www.kats.go.kr )

 

26 More information is available at http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/psc/KAEU07_1.asp

27 More information is available at http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/psc/KAEU07_2.asp?sub_menu=2

28 More information is available at http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/news/KAEU04_6.asp?sub_menu=6
22

5. Metrology Pillar 

5.1. Overview

Measures Act covers mainly legal metrology activities including the role of KATS and KASTO while 

Framework Act on National Standards articulates overall activities of measurement standards, standards 

reference materials and data including the role of KATS and KRISS as noted below. 

☞ Measures Act:

 → Chapter I. General Provisions

 Article 1 (Purpose), Article 2 (Definitions), Article 4 (Measuring Units)

 → Chapter II. Measuring Instrument Business, Tests, Etc.

 SECTION 1 Registration, etc. of Business of Manufacturing Measuring Instruments

 SECTION 2 Observance of Legal Measurements

 SECTION 3 Type Approval for Measuring Instruments

 SECTION 4 Tests, etc. of Measuring Instruments

 → Chapter III. Self-Declaration of Conformity for actual Quantity-indicated Goods

 → Chapter IV. Mayor/Governor’s Post-Management

 → Chapter V. Supplementary Provisions

 Article 40 (Korea Association of Standards and Testing Organizations)

☞ Framework Act on National Standards:

 → Chapter III. Advancement of National Standards System 

 Article 9 (Classification of Units of Measurement)

 Article 10 (Base Units)

 Article 11 (Derived Units)

 Article 12 (Measurement Units Outside International System of Units)

 Article 13 (National Metrology Institute)

 Article 14 (Establishment of National Calibration System)

 Article 15 (Certification and Diffusion of Standard Substances)

 Article 16 (Establishment and Diffusion of Reference Standards)

 Article 17 (Legal Metrology)

 Article 18 (Establishment and Diffusion of Industrial Standards)

 Article 19 (Advancement of Projects for Establishment of National Measurement Standards)

Table 7 shows that KRISS is the national metrology institute and the Korean representative for the National 

Metrology Institutes (BIPM) and Asia Pacific Metrology Program (APMP). Korea joined BIPM in 1959.

KATS has legal authority to develop standards reference data and materials, and KATS empowers KRISS 

and other organizations to serve and operate standards reference data and material centers. KATS is also 

responsible for legal metrology, and represents Korea in International Organization of Legal Metrology

(OIML). Korea joined OIML in 1978. KASTO, a non-profit private organization, promotes and 

disseminates legal metrology in cooperation with KATS. The metrology and measurement division of 

KATS is responsible for the metrology activities.
23

Table 7 Major institutions in Korean metrology system

Sub-Fields In Korea

(status)

In USA

(status)

The institutions are 

members in:

National metrology institute (NMI) KRISS Public NIST Gov. BIPM, APMP

Standard Reference Data KRISS

(KATS)

Public

(Gov.)

NIST Gov. –

Standard Reference Materials KRISS

+9 org.29

Public

+RMPs NIST Gov.+many

ISO/REMCO

Legal metrology KATS Gov. NIST Gov. OIML, APLMF

Legal metrology promotion KASTO Private – – –

5.2. KRISS, as the national metrology institute (NMI)

In the Korean standards system, the Framework Act on National Standards officially designated KRISS, a 

national metrology institute (NMI), in February 1999. As the NMI representing the Republic of Korea, 

pursuant to Article 13 of the Framework Act on National Standards, KRISS has established national 

measurement standards in over 170 areas as of 2009. KRISS provides internationally recognized national 

measurement standards to its customers in various industries as a means to help improve the quality and 

competitiveness of Korean industrial products and exports in global markets. KRISS also engages in 

developing new measurement technologies and standards required for cutting-edge technological 

innovations such as in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information and communications technologies, 

and in playing a leading role in the development of forward-looking innovations. 

KRISS has been is an active member of international metrology organizations such as the APMP and 

General Conference of Weights and Measures (CGPM). KRISS has sought to ensure the equivalence of 

Korea’s national measurement standards with those of the international community and to reinforce its 

leadership in these international bodies in order to enhance the global recognition of Korea’s metrology 

capabilities. 

Major functions of KRISS include establishment, maintenance, and improvement of national measurement 

standards for length, time, and weight; development of new metrology and assessment technologies 

necessary for advanced industries; calibration and testing of industrial measuring instruments; and 

dissemination of certified reference materials (CRM).

KRISS has about 388 full time employees with 221 holding Ph.D. degrees – 234 research scientists, 61 

engineers, 54 technicians, and 39 admin staff. KRISS collaborates with three international organizations: 

International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM), APMP and International Measurement 

Confederation (IMEKO). The operating units of KRISS are organized into four divisions for R&D, and four 

 

29 KRISS leads activities for standards reference materials, and serves as a purveyor of certified reference materials in 

Korea (more information can be found at http://rmisys.kriss.re.kr/english/main.html). There are 9 KOLAS accredited 

reference materials producers (RMPs) in Korea by KOLAS, and their list can be found at 

http://www.kolas.go.kr/english/Directory/DirectoryList.aspx?Accredit=04
24

divisions for Service & Management. Each division is made up of specialist centers dedicated to improving 

measurement capabilities and services. The budget for fiscal year 2011 amounts to U.S. $ 108 million. As 

Figure 9 shows, KRISS has two offices directly under the president, and eight centers which are composed 

of 28 scientific centers under five (green) divisions and 12 policy and administrative teams under three (gray)

divisions. 

Figure 9 Organization Chart of KRISS (source: www.kriss.re.kr)

5.3 KATS, KRISS and KASTO 

Even though KRISS is a research institute mainly funded and registered under the Ministry of Education, 

Science & Technology (MEST), KRISS has been working closely with KATS within a national metrology 

system. It is because KATS is responsible for the Framework Act on National Standards which covers both 

scientific and legal metrology. This situation requires good coordination and cooperation relationship 

between the public research institute KRISS, which has good scientific capacity, and the government agency 

KATS, which has legal authority. 

It is clear that KRISS is responsible for scientific metrology while KATS is for legal metrology in general. 

The responsibilities may appear a bit mixed in the area of standards reference data and standards reference 

materials. KATS plays a greater policy role, while KRISS operates National Center for Standard Reference 

Data (NCSRD)30 and national Reference Materials Information Systems (RMYSYS)31.

KASTO was established as a non-profit organization in 1990 and later on recognized in Measures Act. 

KASTO serves to promote and disseminate metrology. KASTO is also one of the designated training 

institutions for KOLAS.

 

30 More information can be found at http://www.srd.re.kr, http://db.srd.re.kr/ (in Korean)

31 More information can be found at http://rmisys.kriss.re.kr/english/
25

6. Current and Future Agenda: KNSP 2011-2015

This section highlights current and future issues and goals of Korean standards system by 

summarizing the Korea National Standards Plan (KNSP). Article 7 of the Framework Act on 

National Standards requires the Korean government to revise a Korea National Standards Plan

(KNSP) every five years, which is approved by the National Standards Council32. On 29 November 

2010 the Council approved the 3

rd KNSP for the year of 2011-2015 which was completed in over a 

year of consultations with government agencies and some fifty experts.

The KNSP 2011-15 aims to transform Korea into a ‘world-class nation with strong standards’. The 

KNSP 2011-15 expands its policy spectrum from two earlier versions of KNSPs, which were more 

focused on standards activities for industrial development such as product interoperability and 

productivity maximization, to a broader concept including convenience of citizens’ life and publicprivate partnership for national standards system. The 3rd KNSP includes four main strategies 

composed by 12 sub-strategies and 151 action items as shown Table 8. 

(Strategy I) The KNSP continues to highlight the importance of national standards development to 

support major national current and future prioritized industry and relevant international standards 

activities. Such national standardization efforts should be the basis for Korea’s proactive 

participation in international standards setting. The plan underlines the need to enhance the 

integrated approach between R&D and standard-setting efforts33.

Table 8 KNSP 2011-2015: Four Major Objectives

Strategies Sub-Strategies

I. Support Growth Engine 

Industry:

36 action items

1. Develop national standards development for emerging major industries

2. Proactive participation in international standards for infra-technologies

3. Enhance integration of R&D and standardization activities

II. Build Business-friendly 

Infrastructure:

35 action items

4. Reform certification system to be more business-friendly

5. Support standards development for the user

6. Advance global competitiveness in measurement

III. Form Convenient and 

Safe Society:

50 action items

7. Standardization for convenient life and services 

8. Standardization for societal safety and security

9. Standardization for Public Administration

IV. Public-Private

Partnership System:

30 action items

10. Advance national standards system

11. Promote more participation of private sector

12. Strengthen Inter-governmental agency cooperation

(Strategy II) The KNSP directs the Korean government to build more business friendly standards 

 

32 The National Standards Council is composed of a few private sector experts and Deputy Ministers of 

different ministries, and chaired by the Minister of Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE). 

33 KATS recently introduced a standards-PM or standards-coordinator for prioritized national R&D program 

for such area as Smart Grid, and there will be high chances of cooperation with the U.S. in common areas of 

standards development interest. 
26

related environments in Korea. It includes reform of the national standards certification system 

including that of KS certification. Also, it emphasizes the importance of measurement competences 

for further industrial development. 

As a follow-up of this strategy, in July 2012 KATS reported to the President of Republic of Korea 

about its ‘Advancement Plan for National Standards Certification System’, which includes 1) 

coordination of reportedly duplicating or unreasonable certification related regulations, 2) 

alignment of KS and government agencies’ regulations with international standards, 3) building a 

globally relevant standards-certification system, 4) developing a standards-certification 

infrastructure for knowledge economy34.

(Strategy III) The concept of convenience and a safe society in the KNSP includes developing an 

online portal where any citizen can propose a new standardization project to resolve daily-life inconveniences. KATS and KSA will also operate ‘Convenient Daily-life Standardization Forums’ in 

order to incorporate the voices of consumers and related organizations in a national standardization 

plan. These projects might include standardization of cellular phones keypads, inter-hospital data 

sharing, Korean rice wine, tour services, wedding procedure services as well as civil services. 

(Strategy IV) The KNSP clearly presents its future direction from a current public-sector 

(government)-led system towards a public-private balanced system for national standards. If the 

direction is right, the challenges include finding workable mechanisms to transform into a publicprivate cooperative system without damaging current well-working processes within the established 

government-led national standards system. The public-private balanced system may require more 

capacity of private sector than they currently have – more experienced and capable standards 

development organizations, and for testing laboratories in testing and inspection than now35. 

Human resources development is also cardinal in making this strategy a success, which suggests 

strengthening education and training programs at formal, post-formal, and sector-specific levels36. 

Finally, inter-governmental agency cooperation could be one of the key future agenda items. The 

inter-agency cooperation37 may include harmonization between KS and agency regulations, a 

common approach to standardization efforts in government funded R&D program, and 

collaboration in convergence sectors. 

 

34 KATS released a relevant press release on 16 July 2012.

35 Even though Korea may not simply follow the uniquely developed U.S. standards system, the U.S. privatesector-led and public-private cooperative system is a good reference for Korea to study. 

36 Human resource development is another good area of cooperation between Korea and the U.S. at both 

formal level education which Korea has been quite active and post-formal level training programs which the 

U.S. has diverse programs.

37 NTTAA implementation experiences of the U.S. will be useful references for Korea in the harmonization 

efforts of regulations with KS or international standards. 
27

Appendix A. Introduction to Korean Economy

A.1 Korean Economy and Industry

After the Korean War in 1953, Korean economy grew significantly and the country was 

transformed into one of the major newly industrialized countries in the world. Korea showed fast 

industrial and economic growth particularly between 1960s - 1990s. The nominal Gross Domestic 

Product (GDP) of Korea had grown from around $3.9 billion in 1960 (in current U.S. dollars) to 

over $1,116 billion in 2011. The Korean GDP (PPP) ranked 12th in 2011, and total value of 

international merchandise trade values were $1,271 billion dollars, ranking 9

th in the world.

Korea has adopted an export driven economic development policy, and its current exports are 

mainly composed of products in heavy, chemical, electronic industries and information and 

communication industries. Such exports have been largely supported by its infrastructure for 

standardization, conformity assessment, and metrology. As SaKong and Koh (2010) explained, the 

transformation of the Korean economy can be summarized through industrialization and 

globalization. The share of its primary sector fell precipitously from 42 percent in the 1950s to 3 

percent in the 2000s. Light industries used to dominate Korean manufacturing value-added by the 

1970s, but heavy and chemical industries, and later electrical and electronic industries have 

surpassed light industries after the 1980s and the 1990s.

CIA’s World Fact Book38 suggests that an initial system of close government and business ties, 

including directed credit and import restrictions, made Korea’s success possible. The government 

promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods, and 

encouraged savings and investment over consumption. But the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 

exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model including high debt/equity 

ratios and massive short-term foreign borrowing. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, and then 

recovered by 9% in 1999-2000. Korea adopted numerous economic reforms following the crisis, 

including greater openness to foreign investment and imports. In 2004, Korea joined the trillion 

dollar club of world economies, and currently is among the world's 20 largest economies. In the 

third quarter of 2009, the economy began to recover, in large part due to export growth, low interest 

rates, and an expansionary fiscal policy, and growth was 3.6% in 2011. 

Around two thirds of Korea’s export volume was toward the U.S. and Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. 

At that time, because of historic and economic reasons, its national standards system and standards 

development activities had been largely influenced by the U.S. and Japan. During the period, many 

standards and test methods used in Korea were likely transferred or influenced by those of the two 

countries. After the 1990s, the export and trade partners are diversified to include the current top 

trade partner, China, and other economies. 

 

38 Online version of CIA World Factbook is available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/
28

Table A-1 shows an outline of Korean economy with key figures and rankings in scientific and 

technological investment and outcomes, and the size of economy and trade in the global context. 

Table A-1 Korean Economy at a Glance by Key Figures

Items Status or Figures Rank Source (year)

Memberships WTO, OECD, G20, APEC - -

Population 50,004,441 25th www.kostat.go.kr/eng/

- Seoul (capital) 10,528,774 - www.kostat.go.kr/eng/ 

- Seoul Metropolitan 22,547,000 3

rd www.Demographia.com

Area 38,691 sq mi 109th unstats.un.org 

Population Density 487 person/km2 6

th

-

R&D expenditure $ 44.8 Billion (3.0% GDP) 5

th Royalsociety.org (2010)

Patent (application) 172,342 4

th www.wipo.int/ipstats/en/

Human Development 0.897 15th hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

GDP (PPP) $ 1,554 Trillion 12th www.imf.org/external/data.htm

- per capita $ 31,714 26th www.imf.org/external/data.htm

GDP (nominal) $ 1,116 Trillion 15th www.imf.org/external/data.htm

- per capita $ 22,778 34th www.imf.org/external/data.htm

Trade $ 1,271 Billion 9th stat.wto.org

Trade/GDP(nominal) 113.8% - -

Export $ 649 Billion 8th stat.wto.org

- merchandise $ 555 Billion 7th stat.wto.org

- services $ 94 Billion 15th stat.wto.org

Import $ 622 Billion 9th stat.wto.org

- merchandise $ 524 Billion 9

th stat.wto.org

- services $ 98 Billion 13th stat.wto.org
29

A.2 US-Korea Trade Facts 

This sub-section summarizes the US-Korea trade facts provided by the official website of the U.S. 

Trade Representative (USTR) 39. In 2011, the US-South Korea Free Trade Agreement was ratified 

by both governments and went into effect in March 2012. The South Korean economy's long term 

challenges include a rapidly aging population, inflexible labor market, and heavy reliance on 

exports - which comprise half of its GDP. U.S. goods and services trade with Korea totaled $125 

billion in 2011. U.S. exports totaled $60 billion; Imports totaled $65 billion. 

Goods Trade – In 2011, Korea was the 7th largest goods trading partner of the U.S. with $100 

billion in total (two way) goods trade. Korea was the United States’ 7th largest goods export market 

with U.S. goods exports to Korea totaling $43.5 billion, up 12.0% ($4.7 billion) from 2010, and up 

56% from 2000. U.S. exports to Korea account for 2.9% of overall U.S. exports in 2011. The top 

export categories by commodity classification of 2 digit Harmonized System (HS) Code were 

machinery ($6.1 billion), electrical machinery ($6.1 billion), optic and medical instruments ($2.9 

billion), aircraft ($2.6 billion), and mineral fuel (oil) ($2.6 billion).

U.S. goods imports from Korea totaled $56.6 billion in 2011, a 15.9% increase ($7.8 billion) from 

2010, and up 41% from 2000. U.S. imports from Korea accounted for 2.6% of overall U.S. imports 

in 2011. The five largest import categories were: electrical machinery ($16.1 billion), vehicles (cars) 

($12.0 billion), machinery ($10.3 billion), mineral fuel and oil ($2.6 billion), and iron and steel 

products ($2.1 billion).

Agricultural Products Trade – U.S. exports of agricultural products to Korea totaled $7.0 billion 

in 2011, which is the 5th largest U.S. agricultural export market. Leading categories include: coarse 

grains ($1.8 billion), red meats (fresh/chilled/frozen) ($1.2 billion), hides and skins ($470 million), 

wheat ($466 million), and cotton ($394 million).

US imports of agricultural products from Korea totaled $333 million in 2011. Leading categories 

include processed fruit and vegetables ($37 million) and snack foods including chocolate ($32 

million).

Private Commercial Services Trade – U.S. exports of private commercial services (i.e., 

excluding military and government) to Korea were $16.8 billion in 2011 (preliminary data), 11% 

($1.7 billion) more than 2010 and 143% greater than 2000 levels. Other private services (education 

and business, professional and technical services and education services), royalties and license fees, 

and the travel categories accounted for most of U.S. services exports to Korea.

US imports of private commercial services, excluding military and government, were $8.4 billion 

in 2011 (preliminary data), up 8% ($633 million) from 2010, and up 83% from 2000. Other 

transportation (freight services), passenger fares, and travel categories accounted for most of the 

U.S. services imports from Korea.

 

39 The USTR website was accessed 13 September 2012, at http://www.ustr.gov/countries-regions/japankorea-apec/korea. 
30

Appendix B. Useful Online Resources

1) ANSI Standards portal – Republic of Korea section

a. http://www.standardsportal.org/usa_kr/e/key_information/key_information.aspx

2) CACPK - Consumers Korea *safety, market surveillance

a. http://www.cacpk.org/eng.html

3) FITI - FITI Testing & Research Institute 

a. http://www.fiti.re.kr/ft_eng/ft_about/about01.asp

4) KAB - Korea Accreditation Board *accreditation of management systems certification 

bodies

a. https://www.kab.or.kr/English/kab/kab_greeting.html

5) KAFRI - Korea Advanced Food Research Institute * KS (food category) 

a. http://www.kafri.re.kr/n_english/english.asp

6) KATS - Korean Agency for Technology and Standards

a. KATS history:

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/about/KAEU01_2.asp?sub_menu=2

b. KATS organization:

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/about/KAEU01_3.asp?sub_menu=3

c. KATS Annual reports 2006-2008: 

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/news/KAEU04_4_1.asp?sub_menu=4

d. Korean Standards System :

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/policy/KAEU02_1.asp

e. KS – Korean Industrial Standards

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/standard/KAEU03_1.asp?sub_menu=1

f. KS Certification:

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/standard/KAEU03_2.asp?sub_menu=2

g. KC Mark System:

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/news/KAEU04_6.asp?sub_menu=6

h. KC Certification System:

http://www.kats.go.kr/en_kats/standard/KAEU03_2.asp?sub_menu=2

7) KATS > KAS: Korea Accreditation System (operated by KATS)

*accreditation of products certification bodies 

a. http://www.kolas.go.kr/english/

8) KATS > KOLAS: Korea Accreditation System (operated by KATS)

*accreditation of products certification bodies 

a. http://www.kolas.go.kr/english/

9) KATS > Korea Enquiry point for TBT (operated by KATS)

a. http://www.knowtbt.kr:8888/eng/index.aspx
31

10) KATS > Standards Information Portal: KS Info (operated by KATS)

a. http://www.standard.go.kr/

b. http://www.standard.go.kr/CODE02/USER/0B/12/GovStdFieldSearch.asp

(technical regulations search)

c. http://www.standard.go.kr/e-book/ks_history_50th.html?OlapCode=STAU0109

(Fifty Years of Korean Industrial Standardization History 1961-2011 (e-book, 

Korean)

11) KCL - Korea Conformity Laboratories 

a. http://www.kcl.re.kr/

12) KCA - Korea Consumers Agency

a. http://www.kca.go.kr/jsp/eng/main.jsp

13) KESI - Korea Elevator Safety Institute 

a. http://www.kesi.or.kr/10_english/01_welcome/01_welcome.asp

14) KFDA - Korea Food and Drug Administration * CODEX, WTO/SPS

a. http://www.kfda.go.kr/eng

15) KLRI - Korea Legislation Research Institute * full text statues translated in English

a. http://www.klri.re.kr/eng/category/main.do

b. http://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_service/lawNameList.do (Korean laws translated into 

English)

c. Full text of Korean statues are freely available at www.law.go.kr

16) KRISS - Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science *NMI, scientific measurement

a. http://english.kriss.re.kr/

b. KRISS Organization:

http://www.kriss.re.kr/eng/about/02_4.html

c. KRISS Statistics:

http://www.kriss.re.kr/eng/about/02_6.html

d. KRISS Brochure and Video:

http://www.kriss.re.kr/eng/communy/03_1.html

e. CIPM MRA, Fact sheet:

http://www.kriss.re.kr/eng/communy/03_3.html

f. KRISS Handbook & Points of contact:

http://www.kriss.re.kr/eng/communy/03_4.html

17) KRISS > NCSRD - National Center for Standard Reference Data (operated by KRISS)

*standard reference data center

a. http://www.srd.re.kr/ (in Korean) 

b. http://db.srd.re.kr/ (in Korean)

c. http://sizekorea.kats.go.kr (in Korean)

18) KRISS > National Reference Materials Information Systems (RMISYS)

a. http://rmisys.kriss.re.kr/english/
32

19) KSA - Korean Standards Association * KS certification, KS promotion, quality 

management

a. KSA history:

http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng01_02.jsp

b. KSA organization:

http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng01_03.jsp

c. KSA business and services

http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng02_01.jsp

d. KSA training and education:

http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng02_03.jsp

e. Certifications for KS, ISO, CDM, JIS

http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng02_04.jsp

f. KSA promotions: National Quality Award, Quality Circles, Standards Day

http://www.ksa.or.kr/eng/eng02_05.jsp

20) KSA > KSSN – Korean Standards Services Network *KS sales (operated by KSA)

a. http://www.kssn.net/English/

b. KS classification:

http://www.kssn.net/English/Intro/C_Intro_list5.asp

c. KS distribution:

http://www.kssn.net/English/Intro/C_Intro_list6.asp

d. KS webs-store (standards searching and purchase):

http://www.kssn.net/English/WebStore/C_WebStore_list.asp

e. KS certification procedure:

http://www.kssn.net/English/Intro/C_Intro_list8.asp

21) KTC - Korea Testing Certification 

a. http://www.ktc.re.kr/

22) KTL - Korea Testing Laboratory 

a. http://www.ktl.re.kr/eng/

23) KTR - Korea Testing & Research Institute 

a. http://www.ktr.or.kr/

24) MIFAFF - Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries * CODEX, WTO/SPS, KS 

(food category)

a. http://english.mifaff.go.kr/main.jsp

25) MW - Ministry of Health and Welfare (MW) * CODEX, WTO/SPS

a. http://english.mw.go.kr/front_eng/index.jsp