Conformity Assessment for Broadcasting and Communication Equipments (KC)
· KC
KC certification is the compulsory product compliance mark in South Korea. It is supervised by the MOTIE (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea) which formulates related laws, enforcement decrees and rules on product safety.
There were 13 separate certification systems by various government agencies before to 2009, some of which even had some degree of overlap. Therefore, South Korean government made the decision in 2009 to replace and consolidate those 140 separate test marks with one KC Mark Certification.
More than 730 types of products are now being regulated under the KC certification umbrella, with consumer goods and especially electronic products being a major contributing factor.
However, electric appliances are the most important product category for the KC certification, and most electronic products that use the Korean voltage of 220V AC have to be KC certified according to the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Goods Safety Management Act. In general, electronic devices with more than 30V (AC) or 42V (DC) usually require a KC certification.
EMC focuses on three key issue classes. Emission is the deliberate or unintentional creation of electromagnetic energy by a source and its release into the environment. EMC investigates the undesired emissions as well as potential mitigation strategies. In the second category, referred to as susceptibility, electrical equipment, also known as the victim, has a propensity to malfunction or fail in the presence of unwanted emissions, a.k.a. radio frequency interference (RFI). The ability of equipment to operate properly in the presence of RFI is immunity, which is the opposite of susceptibility. The practice of "hardening" equipment is also referred to as either susceptibility or immunity.
By addressing any or all of these problems, i.e., quieting the sources of interference, limiting coupling routes, and/or hardening the prospective victims, interference mitigation and subsequently electromagnetic compatibility may be achieved. In reality, all three problems may be solved using several engineering methods, like as grounding and shielding.
Therefore, a party intending to manufacture, sell or import broadcasting and communication equipment must have one of the following three certifications.
1. Certification of Conformity
2. Registration of Compatibility
3. Interim of Conformity
The National Radio Research Agency is the regulatory authority and responsible for regulating telecommunications and radio communications and managing the radiofrequency spectrum in Korea.
· Certification of Conformity
If you intend to manufacture, sell, or import equipment that may cause harm to the radio environment and broadcasting communication network, causing significant electromagnetic interference or is affected by electromagnetic waves to the extent that normal operation is disturbed, this is a procedure to obtain certification through testing on the conformity assessment criteria via designated testing laboratory.
| Certification of Conformity | |
| Documents Required | Items Subject to Certification |
· User’s Manual (in Korean) · Test Report(issued by authorized testing agency or the testing agency in an MRA country· Appearance drawing · Part arrangement diagrams or photographs · Circuit diagrams · Antenna Specification · Letter of representation · Samples | Wireless telephone alarm automatic receiver, maritime radar equipment, telephone, modem, etc |
Certification Process
· Registration of Compatibility
Broadcasting and communication equipment that is not subject to certification of conformity is then subject to registration.
| Registration of Compatibility | |
| Documents Required | Items Subject to Registration |
| · Letter of confirmation conforming to compatibility assessment criteria · Letter of representation | · Computing device and peripherals · Broadcasting set-top box · Measuring instrument · Industrial equipment · Connector · Etc. |
Registration Process
· Interim of Conformity
If there is no criteria for assessing the conformity of the broadcasting and communication equipment or if it is difficult to assess the conformity for whatever reason, the conformity can be assessed using the standard, specification or technical criteria of Korea or other countries and then attaching the region, period of validity, and condition of certification to the manufactured, sold, or imported equipment.
| Interim of Conformity | |
| Documents Required | Items Subject to Interim of Conformity |
· Technical Manual · In-house test report · User's manual · Appearance drawing · Circuit diagram · Part arrangement diagram or picture · Letter of representation | · Newly developed equipment where conformity assessment criteria are not yet available |
※ Conformity Assessment Mark
| R | - | C | S | - | A | B | C | - | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ||||||||||||||||||
<Identification Mark>
① Braodcasting Communication Equipment Identification
② ③ ④ Basic Certification Information Identification
⑤ Product Identification
Criteria | Identification Mark |
Certification of Conformity | C (Certification) |
Registration of Compatibility | R (Registration) |
Interim of Conformity | I (Interim) |
※ Electronic labelling (E-labelling)
It is to allow selective use of electronic labeling(e-labelling) to indicate the conformity assessment mark using firmware, software, or QR codes instead of physically marking and labeling on the surface and packaging of the products.