ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in South Korea

ISO 17025 accreditation in South Korea at a glance

Laboratories in South Korea are accredited, not certified, and the body that accredits them is KOLAS, the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme run by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards. KATS says KOLAS accredits calibration and testing laboratories on the basis of ISO/IEC 17025 and inspection bodies on the basis of ISO/IEC 17020 under the National Standards Act, and ILAC lists KOLAS as a full member and mutual recognition arrangement signatory for calibration, testing, medical testing, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers. That recognition is what lets overseas customers accept KOLAS-accredited results. Laboratories supporting the automotive, battery, chemical and medical device industries are typical applicants. Sterling's Tokyo office prepares the quality manual, method validation, measurement uncertainty and traceability evidence, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement. KOLAS alone grants the accreditation.

Who needs ISO 17025 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.

• Calibration laboratoriesKATS says KOLAS accredits calibration laboratories on the basis of ISO/IEC 17025, and ILAC lists calibration within KOLAS's mutual recognition scope.
• Independent and in-house testing laboratoriesKOLAS accredits testing laboratories against ISO/IEC 17025 under the National Standards Act, and ILAC lists testing within its scope.
• Laboratories supporting automotive, battery, chemical and medical device industriesInvest Korea lists automotive parts, batteries, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals and biotechnology among Korea's industries, and the Free Economic Zones name battery, chemical and medical device activity.
• Manufacturers whose customers require accredited test or calibration reportsAn accreditation from a mutual recognition arrangement signatory is built for acceptance of results beyond Korea.

ISO 17025 requirements in South Korea

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 17025 requires a laboratory to prove six things about its competence and the results it reports.

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: ISO/IEC 17025 explained →

• ISO 17025 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 17025 expects
• ISO 17025 checklist

How to get ISO 17025 accreditation in South Korea

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to accreditation. 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 ISO/IEC 17025 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 any external review.
5. The accreditation body assessmentThe accreditation body assesses and decides. Sterling supports the assessment.

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

• ISO 17025 gap analysis
• ISO 17025 implementation plan
• ISO 17025 internal audit

How long does ISO 17025 accreditation 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 test or calibration methods and technical areas in scope
• Measurement traceability and uncertainty evidence
• Proficiency testing or comparisons to complete
• KOLAS assessment scheduling around the Seollal and Chuseok holiday periods

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

• What drives the ISO 17025 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 17025 accreditation cost in South Korea?

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

• Number of methods, disciplines and sites in scope
• Equipment calibration and reference standards
• Proficiency testing and training costs
• KOLAS fees quoted separately from consulting

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

• What makes up the cost of ISO 17025

ISO 17025 consultants and assessors in South Korea

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; the accreditation 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 ISO 17025 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.

ISO 17025 in South Korea: questions clients ask

More on ISO 17025 for South Korean organisations

• ISO/IEC 17025: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 17025
• Calibration laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• Chemical and microbiological testing: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• Construction materials testing: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• Environmental laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• Food and agriculture: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• Government and forensic laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• In-house manufacturing laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
• ISO 17025 accreditation in South Korea and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards South Korean businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in South Korea often combine ISO/IEC 17025 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in South Korea →