ISO/IEC 27001 certification in South Korea

ISO 27001 certification in South Korea at a glance

Korea has two information security certifications that are often confused. The national information security management system certification, set out in the Network Act, is compulsory for telecommunication businesses, major providers of information and communications services, data-centre operators and large platforms, and it is examined through the Korea Internet & Security Agency or a designated body. ISO/IEC 27001 is separate: it is issued by certification bodies accredited by the Korea Accreditation Board or another body within the international recognition arrangements, and KAB lists the standard among the scopes it holds there. The Act lets the Minister omit part of the national examination for entities certified to international information-protection standards, which is why many providers plan both. Financial companies add a chief information security officer under the Electronic Financial Transactions Act. Sterling's Tokyo office helps South Korean organisations build the risk assessment, Statement of Applicability and evidence behind either route, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included, and never issues certificates.

Who needs ISO 27001 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 businesses, data-centre operators and major information-and-communications service providersThe Network Act says they shall receive the national information security management system certification, and the same risk work feeds an ISO/IEC 27001 system.
• Large platform businessesThe Act also reaches businesses above revenue, communications-sector sales or daily-user thresholds set by decree, and ISO/IEC 27001 adds an internationally recognised certificate beside the national one.
• Financial companies, fintechs and electronic financial business entitiesThe Electronic Financial Transactions Act requires a chief information security officer responsible for the technology security behind electronic financial business, which an ISMS organises.
• Cloud and SaaS exporters selling to overseas customersKAB lists ISO/IEC 27001 among the scopes recognised under the international arrangements, so a KAB-accredited certificate travels beyond Korea.
• Controllers and processors of personal informationThe Personal Information Protection Act requires technical, managerial and physical safeguards, and a controller supervises its entrusted suppliers.

ISO 27001 requirements in South Korea

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 27001 requires a company to prove six things about how it protects the information it holds.

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 27001 explained →

• ISO 27001 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 27001 expects
• ISO 27001 checklist

How to get ISO 27001 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 27001 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 27001 certification process, step by step
• ISO 27001 gap analysis
• ISO 27001 implementation plan
• ISO 27001 internal audit

How long does ISO 27001 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, data centres and cloud services in scope
• Maturity of the risk assessment and Statement of Applicability
• Overlap with controls already built for the national ISMS, ISMS-P or financial duties
• 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.

• What drives the ISO 27001 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 27001 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 systems and outsourced suppliers
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Integration with ISMS-P, ISO/IEC 27701 or ISO 22301 work

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

• What makes up the cost of ISO 27001

ISO 27001 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 27001 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.

• Choosing an ISO 27001 certification body
• How to verify an ISO 27001 certificate

ISO 27001 in South Korea: questions clients ask

More on ISO 27001 for South Korean organisations

• ISO/IEC 27001: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 27001
• Banking and financial services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• BPO and shared services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• Government and public sector: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• Healthcare and health data: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• Professional and legal services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• Software, SaaS and technology: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• Telecoms and data centres: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
• ISO 27001 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 27001 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in South Korea →