S. Korea to adopt new product quality mark

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will introduce a new product certification
mark to help consumers buy safe, quality products, the government said Tuesday.
The Korea Certification or "KC" mark will replace 13 existing product
identification labels and markings issued by five different ministries and
agencies that have been cited for confusing consumers, the Korean Agency for
Technology and Standards (KATS) said.
Existing product markings like "KS" and "KPS" are issued by the Ministry of
Knowledge Economy through KATS, while labels for safety are issued by the labor
ministry. The National Emergency Management Agency, the Broadcasting and
Communications Commission and environment ministry also issue different
certificates.
The new marking will be used starting Wednesday and be attached to 736 products
such as automobiles, liquid crystal display TVs, refrigerators, rice cookers,
baby carriages and house cleaning appliances. Seoul will permit a grace period of
two years to allow existing marks to be used in tandem with KC, with complete
unification of all such markings to start in 2011.
"The goal is to create a mark that will gain confidence not only in the country
but abroad and bolster the high quality image of locally made products," said a
official. He said the KATS will strive to make the KC mark, a symbol of quality
on par with the "CE" mark used on European products and "PS" labels employed in
Japan.
The standards agency said that for certain electrical products that need to get
two state-issued certificates, Seoul will operate a "one-stop" service to reduce
overlapping tests.
It claimed that once the new system is in place the time it takes to get the
certificate will be cut by 27 percent, with costs coming down an average 66
percent compared to the present.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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