South Korea: Packaging and standards

In this page: Packaging and labelling regulation in South Korea | Commercial and industrial norms in South Korea

Packaging and labelling regulation in South Korea

Packaging: Consult the rules on the website of the Ministry of Environment.
Languages Permitted on Packaging and Labeling: The labeling for all the products sold in Korean market shall be written in Korean, even allowing the supplementary indication in English.
Unit of Measurement: Metric units of measurement and weight are required.
Mark of Origin "Made In": The marking of the origin of the products is also compulsory and should be indicated either in Korean, Chinese or English.
Labeling Requirements: -Product name
-Name an address of Korean manufacturer, or importer and original manufacturer in case of imported products
-Name and address of distributor of imported products, assuming the importer and distributor are not the same
-Materials
-Size or volume
-Production number or date (or expiration period)
-Price (whoever sells to the customer shall write the price)
-Precaution notice, etc.
Specific Regulations: Korean legislation provides specific labeling rules for certain foodstuffs and textile products, electrical appliances, cosmetics and consumer goods, etc.

The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (formerly the Ministry of Knowledge Economy) began issuing the KC Mark for items that fall under its jurisdiction. Formerly, some 13 mandatory marks were issued, many of which overlapped in testing procedures and functions. The consolidation of these marks in the KC Mark ensures that companies, both Korean and foreign agencies, save time and costs due to reduced redundancies introduced by this new system.

Commercial and industrial norms in South Korea

National Standards Organisations: Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS)
Integration in the International Standards Network: International Level: the International Standard Organisation (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Asia-Pacific Level: the APEC/SCSC; the ASEM/TFAP/SCA, Trade Facilitation Action Plan/Standards and Conformity Assessment of the Asia-European meeting; the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC).
Obligation to Use Standards: In many cases, the government obliges the industries to meet KS standard, even if the KS usage is not totally obligatory.
Classification of Standards: KS consists of 16 categories from 'General' to 'Information Industry' and is divided into three parts. More information is available on the Korean Standardisation website.
Assessment of the System of Standardization: Respect of voluntary standardization is highly regarded in Korea; it can increase sales potential on the market and the acceptance of the product by consumers.
Certification Organisations: Korean Standards Association (KSA)
Associations of Standards Users: Community of Korea Standards Association (KSA)

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