ISO/IEC 20000-1 certification in South Korea

ISO 20000-1 certification in South Korea at a glance

ISO/IEC 20000-1 has no Korean statute behind it, so demand is commercial and sector-led. The Network Act's national certification and the Electronic Financial Transactions Act's information security officer duty both bear on the stability of information and communications networks and financial technology, and service providers use IT service management to organise the incident, change and capacity processes behind those duties. The Korea Accreditation Board's published scheme list does not show ISO/IEC 20000-1, so a buyer should ask a certification body which accreditation backs its certificate and what scope it covers. Telecom and data-centre operators, managed-service providers, financial technology suppliers and shared-service centres are typical applicants. Sterling's Tokyo office prepares the service management system, service catalogue, incident and change processes and evidence, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement. Sterling does not certify.

Who needs ISO 20000-1 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.

• Telecommunication and managed-service providersThe Network Act's national certification covers the stability and reliability of information and communications networks, and a service management system organises the processes behind running them.
• Data-centre operatorsThe Network Act lists data-centre operators among the entities that shall receive the national certification, and customers rely on their incident, change and capacity processes.
• Financial technology and electronic financial service suppliersThe Electronic Financial Transactions Act makes the chief information security officer responsible for the technology that underpins electronic financial business.
• Shared-service centres and outsourcersThey run services for clients under service levels, and a certified system shows how requests, incidents and changes are controlled.
• ICT suppliers to public institutionsKONEPS publishes each bid's evaluation criteria, so any service management requirement comes from the individual notice.

ISO 20000-1 requirements in South Korea

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 20000-1 requires a company to prove six things about how it plans and delivers IT services.

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 20000-1 explained →

• ISO 20000-1 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 20000-1 expects

How to get ISO 20000-1 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 ISO/IEC 20000-1 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.

• The ISO 20000-1 certification process, step by step
• ISO 20000-1 internal audit

How long does ISO 20000-1 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 services, customers and sites in scope
• Maturity of incident, change, problem and capacity processes
• Supplier and service-level agreement documentation
• 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 ISO 20000-1 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.

• Number of services and locations in scope
• Tooling and process documentation work
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Integration with ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 22301 systems

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

• What makes up the cost of ISO 20000-1

ISO 20000-1 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 ISO 20000-1 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 20000-1 in South Korea: questions clients ask

More on ISO 20000-1 for South Korean organisations

• ISO/IEC 20000-1: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 20000-1
• ISO 20000-1 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 ISO/IEC 20000-1 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in South Korea →