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Showing posts from July, 2026

Korea Moves to Mandate Pedal Misapplication Prevention Systems in New Vehicles from 2029

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On July 10, 2026, Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced an amendment to the Regulations for Performance and Safety Standards of Motor Vehicles and Vehicle Parts ( MOLIT Ordinance No. 1602 ).  Under the amended regulation, Pedal Misapplication Accident Prevention Systems (PMAPS) will become mandatory for passenger cars and for buses, trucks, and special-purpose vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3.5 metric tons or less. Q1. What is a Pedal Misapplication Accident Prevention System (PMAPS)? A Pedal Misapplication Accident Prevention System (PMAPS) is a system that detects a driver's misapplication of the accelerator pedal and prevents or controls unintended sudden acceleration.   Q2. Which vehicles are subject to the mandatory requirement? The following vehicles are covered by the requirement: Passenger cars Buses with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3.5 metric tons or less Trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3.5 me...

Korea Strengthens KC Safety Standards for Furniture for Children

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The Korea Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) has announced a proposed revision to the safety standard for "Furniture for Children," a children's product subject to the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) scheme, to help prevent child safety accidents ( Announcement No. 2026-211 ). The proposed revision aims to strengthen the prevention of chest-of-drawer tip-over accidents and harmonize the Korean standard with the international standard ASTM F2057 . The key changes include an expanded scope of application and improved test methods. Public comments on the proposed revision will be accepted until August 31, 2026 . Key Revisions • Expanded Scope of Application: The scope of safety regulation for children's chests of drawers will be expanded from products with a height of 762 mm or greater to those with a height of 686 mm or greater and a weight of 13.6 kg or more . • Improved Test Methods: A new Annex C will be introduced to establish test ...

Korea Revises KC Safety Standards to Support the Launch of New EV Chargers

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The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) has published proposed revisions to the KC safety standards and related operational guidelines ( Announcement No. 2026-206 ) for public comment to ensure the safety of new types of electric vehicle chargers and support the smooth launch of new products in response to advances in EV charging technology and changes in the market environment. Public comments on the proposed revisions will be accepted until August 31, 2026 . The revisions introduce safety standards for new types of EV chargers, including portable EV chargers and wheel stop-integrated EV chargers, paving the way for KC certification and commercialization of products that were previously difficult to certify. They also align the KC safety standards with international standards by incorporating the latest EV charging technologies. Revisions to the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Guideline Removal of Obsolete Safety Standards • KC 61851-2...

Korea MFDS Introduces New Self-Testing IVD Categories for Influenza and Drugs of Abuse

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The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) amended the Regulation on IVD Medical Device Items and Item Classification ( Notification No. 2026-45 ) on June 30, 2026, establishing two new categories of self-testing in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) for influenza and drugs of abuse. The amendment expands public access to self-testing IVDs by broadening the scope beyond the existing nine self-testing IVD categories, including those for pregnancy, blood glucose, and COVID-19. The newly introduced influenza self-test kit is expected to enable rapid identification of infected individuals during the early stages of infection, helping to reduce disease transmission. In addition, the drugs of abuse self-test kit will allow individuals to quickly determine whether they have been unintentionally exposed to illicit drugs, supporting timely and appropriate responses.   The newly established self-testing IVD categories are as follows. • K05070.01 IVD reagents for self testing of I...