What Certifications for Wireless Products Exported to Korea?

Introduction to South Korea’s kcc certification

KCC Certification, issued by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), was formerly known as Mic certification. Starting from November 2008, the MIC mark was replaced by the kc certification mark. To avoid redundant procedures, as of July 1, 2012, EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) and Safety certifications have been managed separately, but both fall under the KC certification framework.

All electronic and electrical products applying for South Korean certification must obtain the KC Safety Certificate and KCC Certificate respectively. KCC Certification includes KC EMC and KC RF certifications, covering electromagnetic compatibility testing, radio frequency testing, and telecommunications testing.

Categories of South Korea’s KCC Certification

Based on product classification, KCC Certification is mainly divided into three types:

1. Certification of Conformity: Applicable to wireless communication devices, such as telephones, modems, and fax machines.

2. Registration of Compatibility: Mandatory for products with EMC/RF specifications to apply for certification under this system.

3. Interim of Conformity: Designed for products adopting new technologies that cannot be categorized under the above two systems.

Scope of Products

It basically covers all wireless communication products, as well as most electronic and electrical products included in the scope of KC Safety Certification. Examples are listed below:

1. Automatic alarm receivers installed on ships

2. Automatic alarm telephone devices

3. Radio beacons for emergency position indication

4. Marine radio navigation radars and automatic radar plotting aids

5. Wireless equipment for maritime mobile phones

6. Wireless equipment for satellite mobile communication radio stations

(Only a partial list is provided here)

Common Standards

KCC Certification Process

1. Provide product specifications to confirm quotation, sample quantity, and sample requirements.

2. The client sends samples to JJR for pre-testing.

3. After passing JJR’s pre-testing, the samples are sent to an RRA-authorized laboratory.

4. Upon successful testing by the local South Korean laboratory, the corresponding test report is issued.

5. The local South Korean laboratory submits the report to the official RRA website for registration and certification issuance.

Notes

1. The certificate holder can be any entity, including manufacturers, factories, importers, and traders.

2. During sample delivery, if the product requires special accessories or peripherals to function properly, both the product samples and the required testing accessories/peripherals must be provided.

3. KCC Certification allows multiple series models to be included in one application. If the internal circuit structure of a series model is identical to that of the main model, it can be certified as a derivative model, with internal and external photos of the series model required for submission.

4. If the module has already obtained KCC Certification, the complete machine can directly reference the module’s RF test data during its KCC Certification application, and the RF part of the complete machine does not need to be retested.

5. EUTs (Equipment Under Test) with dimensions smaller than 1.2m (diameter) × 1.5m (height) can be pre-tested in a 3m anechoic chamber; otherwise, a 10m anechoic chamber is required for pre-testing.