South Korea / Electronics Certification
KC mark — South Korea's mandatory conformity mark
South Korea's conformity mark for electronics splits across two separate regimes depending on what the product does — most radio-enabled consumer electronics need both, as two independent certifications, not one.
Last updated 11 September 2026
The two regimes
KC Safety covers electrical and mechanical safety — the same kind of hazards EN 62368-1 or UL standards address in other markets — for product categories designated under Korea's electrical-safety rules, overseen by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS). KC/RRA is administered by the Radio Research Agency (RRA) under the Radio Waves Act. It covers radio equipment, and it also covers EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) registration, which reaches most electrical and electronic equipment whether or not it has a radio.
A product that both plugs in (or runs on battery) and transmits radio signals — a Bluetooth speaker, a Wi-Fi router, a wearable — typically needs to clear both regimes before it can carry the KC mark and be sold in South Korea.
What's involved
Each regime has its own testing, its own technical documentation requirements, and its own registration process. They can run in parallel rather than one after the other, which is usually the more time-efficient approach for a product that needs both.
Source: IB-Lenhardt, "South Korea RRA Certification & KC Mark Requirements".
Questions
Does a product always need both KC Safety and KC/RRA?
Not always. KC Safety applies only to product categories designated under Korea's electrical-safety rules. KC/RRA applies to radio equipment, and also to EMC registration for most other electrical and electronic equipment, so a product with no radio can still need an RRA EMC registration. A connected consumer product with a radio in a safety-designated category needs both.
Can existing FCC or CE test data be reused?
Some underlying test data can inform the application, but KC certification itself is a separate South Korean process administered locally — it isn't automatically granted from another market's approval.
How is KC certification priced?
Scoped to which of the two regimes apply and the product's specific radio functions. We size it properly once we know what the product does, on a scoping call.