AS9100 certification in South Korea

AS9100 certification in South Korea at a glance

Aerospace quality systems in South Korea rest on a layered arrangement visible in the Korea Accreditation Board's own listings. The IAQG and its Korean counterpart KAQG own the scheme, KAB offers the AS 9100 / KS Q 9100 aerospace quality management system among its accreditation schemes on top of ISO 9001, and certification bodies it accredits issue the certificates. KAB's recognition table now includes IAQG 9100 among the scopes it holds within the international recognition arrangements. Invest Korea lists aerospace among the country's industries, and the Incheon and Chungbuk Free Economic Zones name aviation among their core industries. Customers set their own supplier requirements, so check what each prime contractor expects. Sterling's Tokyo office prepares the quality system with configuration, risk and product-safety evidence, and includes Effivity and Sterling Academy with the engagement. Sterling does not certify.

Who needs AS9100 in South Korea, and what happens without it

In South Korea the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Aerospace component and assembly suppliersKAB lists the AS 9100 / KS Q 9100 aerospace quality management system among its accreditation schemes, with IAQG and KAQG as scheme owners.
• Aviation manufacturers and service firms in the Incheon and Chungbuk zonesIncheon names aviation and Chungbuk names aviation manufacturing and service among their core Free Economic Zone industries.
• Machining, materials and electronics firms moving into aerospaceInvest Korea lists aerospace, machinery and fine chemicals among Korea's industries, so such firms need a route to the aerospace requirements.
• Sub-tier suppliers to aerospace primesKAB's scheme list pairs ISO 9001 with KS Q 9100, so a supplier with a sound ISO 9001 base has a route to the aerospace requirements.

AS9100 requirements in South Korea

Strip away the vocabulary and AS9100 asks a supplier to prove six things about delivering aerospace products safely and on time.

In South Korea these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: AS9100 explained →

How to get AS9100 certified in South Korea

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across South Korea are served from Sterling's Tokyo office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against AS9100 and the South Korean requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does AS9100 certification take in South Korea?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In South Korea these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of sites and product families in scope
• Configuration management, special process and product safety evidence
• Customer-specific flow-down requirements
• Certification body scheduling around the Seollal and Chuseok holiday periods

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does AS9100 certification cost in South Korea?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In South Korea these factors move both.

• Headcount and number of sites in scope
• Number of special processes and critical items
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Integration with existing ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 systems

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

AS9100 consultants and certification bodies in South Korea

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers AS9100 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in South Korea are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

AS9100 in South Korea: questions clients ask

More on AS9100 for South Korean organisations

• AS9100: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement AS9100
• AS9100 certification in South Korea and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards South Korean businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in South Korea often combine AS9100 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in South Korea →