South Korea tests hydrogen as domestic fuel for heating and cooking

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) released plans to test blending hydrogen into the gas supply for residential buildings. This step comes as part of the plan to become a hydrogen economy and save carbon dioxide. Blending 20 per cent hydrogen into the existing gas supply could save CO₂ emissions of 3.5 million tonnes per year. To ensure the safety of the gas pipelines, the ministry will begin test runs this year and check the usability of existing pipelines and valves. By 2026, legal standards for gas companies to blend hydrogen could then come into effect. Products covered by gas safety regulations in Korea often require KGS approval to be approved for sale and operation in Korea.
 

 
In total, the gas mixture would flow through 50,000 kilometres of pipelines within South Korean cities. A first trial will take place in the second quarter of 2023 at Korea Gas Corp’s LNG plant in Pyeongtaek-si. The government plans to allocate US$23.4 million in funding for the project’s development and testing by 2025. South Korea consumes about 40 million tonnes of natural gas per year. According to government estimates, blending ten per cent hydrogen could save 1.29 million tonnes of natural gas and 3.55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Other countries such as the USA, Great Britain and Germany are conducting similar trials. Already since the end of 2020, the US Energy Department has launched the “HyBlend” research initiative, where the hydrogen-natural gas mix is being studied in more detail.
Feel free to contact us any time if you need assistance or have any questions regarding Korean certifications like KC, KC EMC, KCs, KCs for explosion safety products or KGS factory registration.
Tel. Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261 Tel. US: +1 773 654-2673
Email: info@korea-certification.com
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Korean Authorities Closed During New Year

Several Korean authorities and certification institutions will be closed for Christmas and New Year Holidays.
The holidays will be on December 25, 2022 and on January 01, 2023 respectively. This year, these days fall on Sundays, so the authorities will resume their work from 02 January 2023 without delay.
In Korea, New Year’s Eve is celebrated more quietly in comparison to the Korean New Year celebrations.
The Korean New Year’s Day which is calculated according to the Chinese lunar calendar will start in end of January for 2023. We will inform you about the exact days when the authorities will close for the Spring Festival when we get the official notice.
Due to the closing delays in the certification process may occur.
 

 
MPR International GmbH will continue to support you in your certification processes. If you would like to have products checked for KC-, KC EMC-, KCs-, KEMCO or other certifications, you can call or email us any time.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769259, US: +1 773 654-2673).
If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

MPR International GmbH wishes you a succesfull New Year 2023!

Lotte and Hyundai Motor Group to work together to expand EV charging infrastructure in the future

The two South Korean corporations Hyundai Motor Group and Lotte Group will work together in the future to expand and develop the charging infrastructure for EVs. Company spokespersons made the announcement at the beginning of November. The alliance to strengthen the e-mobility sector was launched on the initiative of chairmen Chung Euisun (Hyundai) and Shing Dong-bin (Lotte). To this end, the companies signed an agreement to establish the “Electric Vehicle Super-Speed Charging Infrastructure Special Purpose Company” in November. The financial company KB Asset Management is participating in the project. Another joint venture, not yet named, consisting of the three companies will have an investment volume of around 211 million US dollars, according to local media reports. Equipment and components used in the production of charging elements for e-cars require KC certification in many cases.
 

 
The business model of the joint venture is to lease EV fast chargers to companies in order to keep the investment costs low for the operators. A total of 5,000 fast-charging stations are to be built in the country’s largest cities by 2025. The charging stations will be installed primarily in the distribution centres of the Lotte Group as well as Hyundai’s salesrooms and workshops. The cooperation between Hyundai and Lotte is seen as a major step towards expanding the EV charging infrastructure in South Korea. According to the Ministry of Environment, there are currently around 150,000 charging stations compared to 350,000 registered EVs. While experts believe that Hyundai and Lotte will take the lead in the increasingly competitive market for charging stations with the planned investment, other companies such as SK, LG, GS, Hanwha and LS are also poised to enter this business. SK Group, for example, acquired charging station manufacturer Signet V last year, while LG Group and GS Group also jointly acquired AppleMango, a charging station manufacturer.

Certifications for the Korean market are a complex hurdle and difficult to navigate due to different authorities and certification systems. With over 15 years of experience in the certification business, MPR International GmbH is your best point of contact for competent service when it comes to exporting to Korea. For example, KC Safety is relevant for electronics and household products, which are mostly intended for consumers, as well as products for children and babies.
Feel free to contact us any time if you need assistance or have any questions regarding Korean certifications like KC, KC EMC, KCs, KCs for explosion safety products or KGS factory registration.
Tel. Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261 Tel. US: +1 773 654-2673
Email: info@korea-certification.com

Urgent questions?Please do not hesitate to contact us via chat. You will find the chat window at the bottom right of each page (if this is not visible, please check your browser settings).

For more information you can download our free brochure “Korea Certification Made Easy – The Booklet“.

Hyundai Motor expands power supply with solar cells at Ulsan plant

Leading South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. is building more solar cell power supply facilities at its main Ulsan plant. With this, the company plans to move towards sustainable and CO₂-neutral manufacturing. Construction work began in November on additional solar panels to expand the power generation capacity from the current 9 megawatts to 15 megawatts, with commissioning planned for September 2023. After that, the carmaker could consume up to 20,000 MWh of electrical energy from solar power at its main Ulsan plant annually. This figure is equivalent to about 1.5 per cent of the total annual electricity consumption of 1.29 million MWh supplied by the state-owned Korea Electric Power Corp. Equipment and components from this sector usually require KC certification to be approved for import and operation in Korea.
 

 
Hyundai is also considering expanding its 10-megawatt solar plant at the Asan factory and increasing photovoltaic power generation at its research centres to 3 megawatts from the current 562 kilowatts. New plants, including an EV production facility under construction in the US state of Georgia, will be equipped with solar cells as standard. Hyundai plans to build its own sustainable power plants by 2045 as part of its CO₂ neutrality. This will affect all Hyundai Group companies such as Kia and Hyundai Mobis.

Leading car manufacturers around the world are striving to build their own plants to supply electricity with sustainable energy. Especially in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and climate change, a self-sufficient energy supply is important to many car companies. For example, the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is planning to build a wind power plant on its test track by 2025. In addition, it is investing millions of euros in solar panels as part of its plan to obtain 70 % of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Another corporation, General Motors Co, also set up its own division, “GM Energy”, to generate and sell energy.

KCs certification was introduced in South Korea to ensure basic safety in the design and manufacture of hazardous machinery and protective equipment in hazardous workplaces in Korea. The aim is to protect the health and safety of workers by preventing accidents. We offer certification services for all product areas, including KC certification for consumer products and especially electronics, KC-EMC certification for electronic products and KCs certification for machinery, KCs for explosion-proof products and KGS factory registration. We are at your disposal for all questions regarding Korea certifications.
Tel. Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261 Tel. US: +1 773 654-2673
Email: info@korea-certification.com

Urgent questions?Please do not hesitate to contact us via chat. You will find the chat window at the bottom right of each page (if this is not visible, please check your browser settings).

For more information you can download our free brochure “Korea Certification Made Easy – The Booklet“.

South Korea plans to surpass China’s EV battery industry

The relevant Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Nov. 1 released a plan to increase South Korea’s share of the global rechargeable battery market to at least 40 percent by 2030. As of June this year, South Korea’s market share was 25.8 percent, with China and Japan securing 56.4 and 9.6 percent, respectively. According to the plan, the government wants to establish a public-private partnership for the procurement of key battery raw materials such as minerals. To this end, the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation and the Export-Import Bank of Korea are providing the equivalent of $2.28 billion in financial support over the coming years. Battery production may involve, among other things, components and equipment that require KC certification to be used in the Korean market.
 

 
In addition, the government and the private sector are investing the equivalent of 760 million and 14.8 billion U.S. dollars, respectively, in battery research and development. Among other things, the investment aims to commercialize a battery made of NCM cells that will allow a range of 800 kilometers, as well as a solid-state battery, both by 2026. The private sector’s spending over the next eight years is estimated to be as much as US$23.1 billion.

Certifications for the Korean market are a complex hurdle and difficult to navigate due to different agencies and certification systems. With over 15 years of experience in the certification business, MPR International GmbH is your best resource for competent service when it comes to exporting to Korea. For example, KC Safety is relevant for electronics and household products mostly intended for consumers, as well as products for children and babies.

Feel free to contact us any time if you need assistance or have any questions regarding Korean certifications like KC, KC EMC, KCs, KCs for explosion safety products or KGS factory registration.
Tel. Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261 Tel. US: +1 773 654-2673
Email: info@korea-certification.com

Urgent questions?Please do not hesitate to contact us via chat. You will find the chat window at the bottom right of each page (if this is not visible, please check your browser settings).
For more information you can download our free brochure “Korea Certification Made Easy – The Booklet“.