South Korea's KC Certification Enters a New Chapter: Certification Processes Significantly Simplified for Five Categories of Home Appliances

 South Korea's KC Certification Enters a New Chapter: Certification Processes Significantly Simplified for Five Categories of Home Appliances



The Korea Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) announced a major reform, simplifying the KC certification system for certain home appliances starting April 1, 2026.


The core changes in the revised Notice No. 2026-95 and the Enforcement Rules of the Electrical Appliances and Household Goods Safety Management Act are as follows:


Elimination of Mandatory Factory Inspections: Under the new system, companies applying for certification will no longer need time-consuming and labor-intensive on-site factory audits.


Simplified Certification Process and Shorter Cycle: Removing the factory inspection step will significantly improve certification efficiency and shorten the time required for products to enter the South Korean market.


Exemption from Annual Review: Companies will no longer need to undergo annual reviews, including factory audits and surveillance sampling, thus reducing subsequent compliance burdens. The regulatory focus will be more on the design and testing compliance of the products themselves.


Five Major Product Categories Affected


This certification system adjustment specifically affects the following five categories of household appliances:


Vacuum Cleaners: Including vacuum cleaners, water vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners, and pressure washers.


Electric Washing Machines and Spin Dryers: Covering all types of electric washing machines, standalone spin dryers, and washer-dryer combos.


Electric Dryers: Including rotary electric dryers, hand dryers, and garment care machines.


Microwave Ovens: Specifically referring to products using frequencies in the 300MHz to 30GHz band.


Bathroom Appliances: Such as automatic cleaning toilets, electric toilet seats, and wastewater suction devices.


Products that have already obtained the original "safety certification" or are applying for relevant qualifications before the new regulations take effect will have their original certification results or application status automatically transferred and will be considered as having completed the "safety confirmation" application or being in progress.

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