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“.

LG Electronics accelerates expansion of its logistics robotics division

South Korea’s LG Electronics, the world’s leading home appliance maker, is accelerating the expansion of its robotics applications in the so-called “smart logistics” sector with the CLOi Carry Bot autonomous robot. The tech giant announced in mid-October that it entered into a memorandum of understanding with local AI logistics specialist Fassto Corp. for the development and manufacturing of logistics robots. LG’s vice president Jang Ik-hwan said the collaboration aims to provide various robot services for the next generation in the logistics robot market. Logistics robots generally fall under the KCs certification, which they are required to have in order to be imported and operated in Korea.
 

 
To this end, LG and Fassto will work on linking autonomous robots and logistics systems in the future. In addition, the processes in the respective logistics centers are to be optimized and the use of robots expanded. LG will contribute the corresponding robots to Fassto’s logistics centers and overseas distribution centers. LG’s self-driving CLOi Carry Bot can pick up loads, plan its own routes and take the payload to the desired location within the warehouse. LG said the robot can assist human workers with risky, simple or often repetitive tasks. In addition to the project with Fassto, LG plans to attract other customers for the CLOi Carry Bot. To that end, back in June, LG entered into an agreement with South Korea’s leading logistics company, CJ Logistics Corp. to jointly develop robots for sorting parcels. LG plans to deliver the CLOi Carry Bot to CJ Logistics and deploy it at its central distribution center.

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 goal is to protect the health and safety of workers by preventing accidents. We provide certification services for all product areas, including KC certification for consumer products and especially electronics, KC-EMV certification for electronic products, and KCs certification for machinery, as well as KCs for explosion-proof products.
We are available to answer any questions you may have about Korea certifications.

Tel. Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261 Tel. US: +1 773 654-2673
Email: info@korea-certification.com

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

New hydrogen extractor delivered by Hyundai Rotem

Hyundai Rotem has supplied a hydrogen extractor to a fusion charging station that produces and pumps hydrogen, using biogases from food. The station can produce over half a ton of high purity hydrogen per day. Plants and equipment that use gases such as hydrogen require KGS certification in many cases.
 

 
Chungju City is home to Korea’s first main station for charging vehicles and delivering hydrogen to the nearest charging stations. Chungju is also where the extractor is deployed, at a special zone station for demonstration purposes. Hyundai Rotem reported that air-tightness tests were undertaken on all seals of pipe connections associated with hydrogen production, as well as an internal pressure test to ensure the pressure resistance of the equipment. The government announced a goal of building 1,200 hydrogen charging stations by 2040. In this context, Hyundai Rotem plans to contribute to the hydrogen infrastructure with mobile hydrogen charging stations, among others.

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“.

MPR at the Expert Forum Future Battery 2022 on November 3rd and 4th in Berlin

For the third year in a row, experts in battery solutions from industry and academia came together at Future Battery to talk about the latest issues that are upcoming in battery applications and to participate in various workshops. This year the topic was “Next level: Establishing the battery society”, highlighting five strategic future topics on the role of battery technology for industry and society. Aspects of material and component supply, production scaling, regulatory requirements and sustainability issues such as recyclability or raw material optimization were the focus.     This year, the Future Battery conference was held as a hybrid event at the EstrelConferenceCenter (ECC) Berlin and online with a supporting app. With 80 exhibition booths, visitors could explore the new ideas and technologies of the participating companies on site and obtain valuable information about products and developments. A very agile event format that brought together about 500 participants directly and another 2,500 participants online. This brought together automotive OEMs, manufacturers of battery systems and cells, and their suppliers, so that the complete value-added spectrum of battery technology could be included. It was a lively and exciting exchange with a view far into the future to technological leaps that are already emerging today. For MPR International there were many insights to current and future opportunities. The massive increase in demand for batteries themselves in the field of e-mobility, as well as the demand for battery testing and approval oand/or registration in countries around the world has increased enormously. For MPR International this means that we have significantly increased our testing capacities therough our partner network. We have been receiving requests for testing from manufacturers who can no longer keep up with their test capacities. We are now able to offer extensive testing in Germany, other EU countries, the UK and the USA for battery testing at short notice and to carry out any necessary certifications. Of particular note here for Korea is KCs certification for electronic products, which are mandatory for many components and equipment involved in battery manufacturing. 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 For more information you can download our free brochure “Korea Certification Made Easy – The Booklet“.

Bottlenecks in South Korea show importance of foreign machine component imports

South Korean display machinery manufacturers are suffering from disruptions in the global supply chain, reports The Korea Economic Daily in its online site KED Global. The result of bottlenecks in certain components is delayed deliveries of machines and resulting interruptions in the expansion of production facilities at local panel manufacturers such as global market leader LG Display Co. According to the industry association “Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA),” domestic screen machine manufacturers would not have been able to meet delivery deadlines because important components from other countries were not available. In many cases, technical products must have KC certification in order to be exported to Korea.     Already known is an extension of the delivery time for OLED screens from three months to now more than six months after order, according to various industry insiders. A South Korean machine manufacturer had to postpone a promised delivery to its customer in June until the end of this year. As a result, the planned expansion of production and replacement of machines at the screen manufacturer was also delayed. Well-known machine manufacturers such as Wonik IPS Co., Jusung Engineering Co. and Sunic System Ltd. failed to procure certain individual parts domestically that are otherwise supplied from overseas. Some manufacturers even had to buy used parts from China for more than double the price. Currently, only 9 percent of all parts needed to make display machines come from South Korea, according to KDIA. Components from the U.S., Japan and Europe account for 37%, 29% and 19%, respectively. For industrial PCs and controls, South Korea relied entirely on suppliers from Taiwan. According to KDIA, such reliance on foreign suppliers makes the domestic industry very vulnerable to disruptions in the global supply chain. The most common components that have to be sourced from abroad are turbopumps, gas and air filters, and o-rings. To avoid such bottlenecks in the future, KDIA plans to work more closely with certain suppliers. 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 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“.

South Korea reduces import tariffs on certain products to fight inflation

The South Korean government reduced import tariffs on 26 key industrial products this year, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Ministry of Economy and Finance justified the decision by citing rising inflation in the country and hopes the move will slow price increases. In July, duty-free import volumes were set for certain product groups, while others are completely exempt from import duties for an indefinite period. For example, unlimited quantities of ethanol feedstocks would be allowed to be imported. Liquefied gases and their transport containers in many cases require certification by KGS to be approved for import and use in Korea.     Earlier this year, the government suspended import duties on liquefied natural gas (LNG) indefinitely. The expansion of the product list for duty-free imports came about the same time South Korea made headlines for its rising inflation. This was due to continued disrupted global supply chains and ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe. As a result, consumer prices in South Korea rose six percent in June from a year earlier, marking the highest increase in nearly 24 years. The Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS) is a government organization under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). Gas safety regulations in Korea began in 1974 with the passage of the Compressed Gas Control Act. In 1995, the Institute of High Pressure Gas Safety was established, and after several restructurings, the Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS) was established in 2001. One year later, KGS was affiliated with MOTIE. KGS was accredited as a Korean designated testing body in 2006 and was also accredited to perform KCs certification and testing of explosion-proof electrical equipment. 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, as well as KCs for explosion-proof products. We are available to answer any questions you may have about Korea certifications. 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“.

Samsung and LG expand TV features to include cloud-based games

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will soon offer customers access to full-fledged computer games via a cloud-based streaming solution with their TVs. Spokespeople for the two companies made the announcement to The Korean Times newspaper in June of this year. Due to improvements in digital technology, the functions of TV sets are also increasing. In particular, tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Nvidia are entering the TV market to offer their services on TV sets without the additional purchase of a game console. TV sets or their components may fall under KC certification, which is mandatory for many products to be approved for sale and use in the Korean market.     Samsung announced in this move that it has partnered with Microsoft to offer customers access to popular Xbox games on the latest Samsung smart TVs. The smart TVs will allow access to Xbox Game Pass through the Samsung Gaming Hub. Samsung says it is currently the only provider with this feature. Besides access to streamed games, the Samsung Gaming Hub also offers music or videos that are played simultaneously via multitasking. Competitor LG Electronics, on the other hand, works with Nvidia and offers customers access to games via Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud service or Google’s Stadia cloud service via its TVs. LG assumes that the functions of TV sets will be similar to those of smartphones or PCs in the future. The basis of this assessment is the improvement of TV hardware and network technology, said an LG spokesperson. Customers will therefore increasingly demand other services besides today’s video streaming. As a TV manufacturer, LG Electronics will try to respond to these requests from customers, the spokesperson added. 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 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“.