1. Korean KC Mark introduction
The new KC Mark was carried out on Jan, 1st, 2009 by KATS on Aug, 20th, 2008 with a purpose to present a clearer understanding of mark identification on purchased products for consumers as well as reduce various certification fees for manufacturers. Since July, 2009, this plan will be firstly implemented in the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy and it will be expanded to include all departments by the end of 2010.
KC Mark implementation procedures are:
Dec, 2008: Modification on National Standards Basic Laws and implementation order.
July, 2009: KC Mark was started to be implemented and adopted as national conformity by the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy.
From Jan, 2009 to Dec, 2010: Amendment on standards certification’s related laws.
Jan, 2011: Apply KC Mark to all certifications.
2. KC Mark certification Products List
Since Jan, 1st, 2009, electrical products will be separated into two lists according to the regulations of Korean Electrical Products Safety Management Laws. The two lists are: mandatory certification and voluntary certification.
Mandatory certification: All electrical products in mandatory list can only be sold in Korean market under the condition that those products are assembled with KC Mark certificates. Factory auditing and products spot check detection should be conducted annually.
Voluntary certification: All electrical products in voluntary list should acquire certificates after detection but there is no need for factory auditing. The certificate’s validity term is 5 years.
Technical materials required for KC Mark application:
Products manufacturers, which are factories manufacture products directly, should turn to EST certification institute applying for electrical products’ safety certifications in order to obtain KC Mark certificates.
Each factory should apply for KC Mark individually in the condition that products with the same specifications are manufactured in different factories because of the different factory names.
3. Technical materials required for KC Mark application
1. Application Form
2. Product descriptions (or User's Manuals): Korean Version
3. List of critical components
4. List of insulation materials
5. Circuit Diagram
6. Letter of authorization (when conduct application through agencies
7. Marking Label
8. Factory questionnaires
9. Specification of Transformer
10. Samples preparation (sample’s number depends on product’s category)
Any electrical product with its voltage range from 50V to 1000V should conduct certifications. KC Mark plan will be implemented on Jan, 1st, 2009 in order to make sure all electrical products should use KC Mark compulsorily. At that time, the new KC Mark will replace the old EK Mark.
4. Documents required for KC Mark
Enterprises should first conduct application to KETI or KTL when applying for KC Mark. In the condition when one product is manufactured jointly by several factories, then those factories should all obtain certification marks despite they are the same type. Overseas manufacturers can apply directly or authorize Korean local agencies and manufacturer representatives for certification.
Documents required for new products applying for KC Mark:
Security certification application for electrical products (mandatory products);
Voluntary safety confirmed application and announcement for electrical products (voluntary products)
1) List of critical components will directly influence safety
2) Electrical circuit diagram
3) Specification of Transformer (relevant products)
4) List of insulation materials (temperatures, endurance performance or flame resistance level)
5) Product specification (both in Korean and English versions)
6) Labels
7) Agencies’ authorized certification documents (essential for compulsory products, voluntary products in the procedure when conducting certification through agencies)
8) Questionnaires (compulsory products only)
5. Factory auditing
(1) Factory auditing for the first time
KETI will conduct a first factory auditing in order to form a preliminary evaluation of its quality control system after receiving of products certification application. According to Korean laws on safety certification and relevant regulations of KETI, factories should have following procedures or regulations, and the content should fit factories’ quality management and control.
1) Products alteration control procedure (e.g. after ratification by certification institutes on products alteration, relevant technical documents should be formulated according to ratified alteration content and being given out to relevant departments to ensure correct alteration. Altered products with their alteration non-ratified can not be labeled with certification mark).
2) Documents and materials control procedure.
3) Quality record control procedure (stocking, routine and detection operation records should be preserved at least for 3 years).
4) Routine inspection and detection confirmed procedure.
5) Unqualified products control procedure.
6) Detection or detection procedure for key components and materials.
7) Internal quality auditing procedure.
8) Factories should keep quality records at least for the following procedures, such as: technology operation instructor, detection standards, equipments operation procedure, management system, with a purpose to ensure factories have conducted all detections.
9) Products routine detection and confirmation detection records: receiving inspection or detection records for key components and materials, qualified certification provided by suppliers.
① Periodical calibration or detection records for equipments
② Routine inspection and operation inspection records
③ Daily inspection records for workshops’ safety equipments
④ Disposal records of unqualified products (goods delivering, routine and operation)
⑤ Internal auditing records
⑥ Records about measures taken on customers’ complaints
⑦ Correction records for unqualified detection
(2) Annual factory auditing
After certificate issuing, certification institute will conduct annual factory auditing with a purpose to inspect the conformity of quality control system and find out whether they are still conform to safety standards. There are 2 parts in annual factory auditing.
1) Check relevant content on quality documents, quality records and production site. Requirements and content should be the same with the first auditing.
2) Ensure all products’ conformity with KC Mark. Check certificated products from the following parts in order to make sure its conformity according to certificates’ attachment: key components, materials, circuit diagram, structure, etc.
(3) Spot check
There are all together 216 kinds of products listed in KC Mark compulsory certification span. Korean safety laws regulated that spot check should be conducted on all kinds of products annually. The detailed procedure is: factory examiners conduct annual auditing during regulated period, in the condition when there is enough inventory, samples should be taken and then delivered to regulated site in 3 months; in the condition when there is no production or enough inventory, samples should be taken and then delivered to regulated site in 6 months.
6. KC Mark logo
(1) KC Mark information content
KC Mark includes following main information content:
Safety certification mark with KETI certification codes;
Product names;
Specification names;
Rated input;
Manufacturer names;
Double insulation marks;
Rated input times (when the products’ rated input time is very short);
Products’ production date (year, month, day or production batch);
Telephones and addresses of Korean service providers;
EMI or EM/EMS mark (can be chosen, recommend for using if there is plenty of time for products’ certification application)
：
Logo’s size should make modification according to product’s size;
Logos should be easily recognized outside products’ or containers’ packages and should be marked by using methods not easy to fall off such as printing or stamp mark;
Items related to safety standards should be listed in Korean or in English;
Color should be black.
(3) KC Mark No.
KC Mark No. is composed by security certification institutes’ differentiated codes, products’ classification numbers, Manufacturers numbers, e.g. S(Z) W 09 999 – 8001 (picture 3), among that number:
①“S(Z)”：differentiated codes of security certification institute (S: compulsory; Z: voluntary safety confirmation);
②“W”： regional codes of electrical products’ manufacturers (South Korea: A-Q; Asia: U; America: V; Europe: W; Mid-east: X; Africa: Y; Other: Z);
③“09”：classification codes of electrical products;
④“999”：manufacturing plants codes for a place or a product’s classification;
⑤“8”： the last number of year (e.g. 0 represents 2000, 8 represents 2008)
⑥“001”：basic types’ serial numbers of a factory or a product’s classification