Preparing a KS Certification Application — Quality Control Manager Qualifications, In-House Standards and 3 Months of Factory Records

Procedure

1. 1. Check the certifiable product and the KS number

   KS certification is only available for products designated by the Minister of Trade and Industry after deliberation by the council and announced in the Official Gazette and on the website. The KS number applicable to the product and the product-specific examination criteria set by the certification body (sampling method, defect classification, and certification classification by type, grade, designation or model) are checked first. Certification is granted per factory, so if there are two or more production factories, each factory is prepared separately.

2. 2. Secure a quality control manager

   The certification examination criteria require securing a qualified quality control manager. The qualification is held by a person with a Professional Engineer Quality Management, Engineer Quality Management or Industrial Engineer Quality Management certificate, or a person who has completed the quality control manager training course (100 hours) of the Korean Standards Association and passed the test. The manager must then take regular training (16 hours) every 3 years, and in a company with 20 or fewer officers and employees, the quality control manager takes the role of the quality management department and must operate independently.

3. 3. Prepare in-house standards and management rules

   In-house standards and management rules must be established based on KS to suit the size of the company and applied across the whole company. Incoming material inspection, control items for each process and main manufacturing equipment, product inspection items and quality criteria, testing and inspection equipment, the working environment and the training plan are specified in the in-house standards. The quality control manager oversees the establishment and revision of in-house standards and carries out a self-inspection of in-house standardization and quality management overall at intervals of 1 year or less.

4. 4. Apply for product certification after 3 months of operating records

   After building up at least the most recent 3 months of records of material inspection, process control, product inspection, equipment management and training carried out under the in-house standards, the product certification application is submitted to the certification body. The certification body draws up a certification examination plan and notifies the examination schedule and the list of an examination team of 2 or more certification auditors. If KS or the certification examination criteria change after the application, the certification body may request a supplement to conform to the revisions.

5. 5. Factory and product examinations, and regular examinations after certification

   In the factory examination, the examination team checks whether the operating records meet the certification examination criteria, and in the product examination, the auditor collects and seals samples at the factory and requests a quality test from an accredited testing and inspection body. After certification, a regular examination must be taken every 3 years from the date the certificate was received (every year for products subject to annual factory examination), and if the factory is relocated, an application for a relocation examination must be filed within 10 days of the relocation completion date and the relocation examination taken within 45 days.

Required documents

• Product certification application (Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Annex Form No. 7)
• In-house standards and management rules (based on KS, covering materials, processes, products, equipment, working environment and training)
• Factory operation records for at least the most recent 3 months (incoming material inspection, process control, product inspection, equipment management, including prototype production records)
• Evidence of the quality control manager's qualification (Professional Engineer Quality Management, Engineer Quality Management or Industrial Engineer Quality Management certificate, or proof of completing the training course and passing the test)
• Records of standardization and quality management training of managers in the production and quality management departments
• List of manufacturing equipment and testing and inspection equipment, and equipment management records
• Self-inspection results and records of quality improvement activities
• Test reports from an accredited testing and inspection body (where test items may be omitted, such as items taking 3 months or more to test; issued within 2 years)

Fees

Generally from several hundred thousand won to several million won in the industry; quoted after consultation depending on the number of products, the scope of in-house standards to prepare and the volume of operating record templates. Certification body examination fees, testing fees and quality control manager training fees are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Industrial Standardization Act, Article 15
• Industrial Standardization Act, Article 17
• Industrial Standardization Act, Article 19
• Industrial Standardization Act, Article 28
• Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Standardization Act, Article 24
• Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Standardization Act, Article 30
• Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Standardization Act, Annex 2
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Article 9
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Article 13
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Article 14
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Article 16
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Annex 8
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Annex 9
• Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Standardization Act, Annex Form No. 7
• Korean Industrial Standards (KS) Certification Operation Guidelines, Article 28

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-13

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• The KS mark or any similar mark must not be placed on uncertified products, packaging, delivery documents or promotional materials, so no mark is used before the certificate is received.
• If a certified factory is relocated, an application for a relocation examination must be filed within 10 days of the relocation completion date, so the certification body is notified first once the relocation schedule is set.

Frequently asked questions