Korea Revises KC Safety Standard for Tablet PCs: What It Means for Large-Screen Smartphones
The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) has revised the KC Safety Confirmation criteria for tablet PCs by increasing the minimum screen diagonal size from 17 cm to 20 cm.
As a result of this amendment, large-screen
smartphones that were previously classified as tablet PCs for KC Safety
Confirmation purposes solely due to their screen size will no longer fall under
the tablet PC criteria. Instead, they will be clearly regulated under the Supplier's
Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) framework applicable to smartphones.
The revised requirements will take effect
on November 1, 2026.
Q1. Why were large-screen smartphones
previously classified as tablet PCs?
Previously, devices with a screen diagonal
of 17 cm or larger were classified as tablet PCs subject to KC Safety
Confirmation. As a result, some large-screen smartphones with screen
diagonals of 17 cm or more, such as the Galaxy Ultra, were also
classified as tablet PCs and were required to undergo the KC Safety
Confirmation process. This created additional regulatory burdens and product
classification challenges for manufacturers and importers, who had continuously
raised concerns about the existing requirements.
Q2. What is the difference between
smartphones and tablet PCs under the KC safety requirements?
Smartphones are subject to the Supplier's
Declaration of Conformity (SDoC), which allows manufacturers or importers
to verify compliance with the applicable safety requirements through in-house
testing or third-party testing before placing the product on the market.
In contrast, tablet PCs are subject to the
more stringent KC Safety Confirmation scheme. Before they can be sold,
they must undergo product testing by a designated safety certification body and
complete the Safety Confirmation registration process.
Q3. What happens to products that have
already been certified or inspected under the previous requirements?
(Transitional Measures)
Products that completed KC Safety
Confirmation, safety inspections, or received an exemption under the
previous requirements before the effective date will be deemed to have complied
with the revised requirements for the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity
(SDoC) or the corresponding exemption.
Therefore, manufacturers and importers that
have already completed the required procedures in accordance with the previous
requirements will not be required to undergo a new certification process
for the same products.
This amendment is intended to clearly
distinguish the safety requirements for large-screen smartphones and tablet
PCs, thereby reducing the regulatory burden on businesses and eliminating
confusion in the marketplace.
Manufacturers and importers planning to
introduce smartphones or tablet PCs to the Korean market should review the
revised screen size threshold and determine which KC safety management
category applies to their products before placing them on the market.
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