As commonly known, certification is a process where an independent third-party certification body verifies a company's system (products, services, etc.). For example, if a company obtains ISO 9001 (Quality Management) certification, it means that their process of providing products or services to customers meets the competency requirements of international standards. Certification can be very specific about activities handled according to field-specific international standards.

Just as companies must demonstrate conformity to certain criteria through certification audits to receive certification, certification bodies must demonstrate competence, impartiality, and integrity to KAB to receive accreditation. In other words, if certification bodies play the role of 'checker,' accreditation can be described as 'checking the checker.‘

Accreditation [KAB] (Accreditation Assessment) → Certification [Certification Bodies: KFQ/KSA/KMR...] (Certification Audit) → Companies/Organizations (Certification Achievement)

In this way, Korea Accreditation Board (KAB) performs the role of managing and supervising whether certification bodies' activities are appropriately planned and implemented according to international standards.

There are several reasons that businesses, organizations, and public institutions should obtain ISO management system certification. In most cases, it is due to customer requests, contractual requirements, or internal strategic priorities. Regardless of the reason for obtaining ISO certification, here are the main benefits organizations experience when implementing and maintaining an effective management system with international standard certification:

- Improved productivity and quality, with increased business opportunities

- Identification of organizational risks and opportunities to prepare for potential threats and discovery of future business

- Enhanced customer satisfaction and opportunities to enter new markets through benchmarking best practices

- Effective and powerful tool for ESG management

Above all, the greatest strength lies in improving corporate productivity and quality. ISO-certified companies experience enhanced quality in products, processes, and services. Globally recognized ISO international standard certification increases organizational efficiency and maximizes time and resource utilization. Organizations can continuously guarantee value through ongoing audits of systems and processes by independent bodies.

Furthermore, ISO certification can increase business opportunities by supporting marketing and increasing sales. Many domestic and international companies require suppliers to obtain not only ISO 9001 but also industry-specific ISO certifications to gain or maintain business. Certification can be particularly important when entering overseas markets, and ISO certificates with Korea Accreditation Board "KAB" mark and MLA (Multilateral Recognition Arrangement) mark are globally recognized. This can enhance customer trust both domestically and internationally.

In Korea, ISO certification can provide additional points in procurement bidding and service evaluation items, and there's an increasing trend of partner companies and parent companies requiring certification. Recently, KAB has been strengthening cooperation with government and public institutions like KONEPS (Korea ON-line E-Procurement System) and Defense Acquisition Program Administration to ensure preferential treatment for KAB-accredited certification bodies.

Accreditation verifies that certification bodies (conformity assessment bodies) providing audits according to specific standards meet international standards' competency requirements and conduct certification activities impartially. It assures society and users of the reliability of certification audits. Accreditation is also an official and independent verification that certification bodies meet international standards and are capable of performing specific certification activities.

KAB is Korea's only management system/person accreditation body that is a full member of international accreditation organizations, conducting accreditation work assessing certification bodies' competencies according to strict international organization principles and standards. Certificates issued according to international standards by KAB-accredited certification bodies are internationally recognized for equivalency.

Recently, overseas buyers are regularly verifying certification validity. Government and state institutions in countries like Canada, Singapore, Poland, etc., actively guide and guarantee validity verification through the KAB mark, referring to Korea Accreditation Board when necessary. You can check other benefits of utilizing accredited certification bodies on our website.

You can search for companies certified by KAB-accredited certification bodies through the "KCN" function on the website and IAF CertSearch (https://www.iafcertsearch.org/). However, for KCN, you must enter the certified company name and certification number accurately, and for both websites there is a daily search limit. 

To become an ISO certification auditor, you typically go through the following process according to procedures of person certification bodies accredited by KAB or overseas accreditation bodies:

"Auditor Training" → "Completion" → "Examination" → "Observation (Provisional Auditor)" → "Auditor" qualification

However, registration procedures may vary between person certification bodies and training institutions.

Domestic ISO management system auditor person certification bodies accredited by KAB include "Korea Auditor Registration (KAR)," "Personal Certification Assessment Association (PCAA)," "Management Certification License (MCL)," as well as the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing and the The Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering / Korea Certification Institute for Machine Diagnostics.

You can find detailed guidance on becoming an ISO certification auditor on these institutions' websites. (Note: KAB has transferred all certification auditor registration-related work to the above person certification bodies to prevent conflicts of interest as recommended by international organizations IAF and APAC.)

Anyone can download the accreditation manual from the main website. However, accreditation criteria (scheme requirements, etc.) are only available to KAB certification bodies (or KAB accreditation applicants). For detailed inquiries, please contact us through the “Contact” page. 

Most information needed for accreditation applications, including general KAB accreditation procedures and criteria, can be found in the Conformity Assessment Body Accreditation Manual (KAB-AM-CAB). Section 4 “Accreditation Procedures" of the manual details the complete process from application through (preliminary visit), document review, office assessment, witness assessment, reporting assessment result, accreditation decision making, and notice of accreditation decision. You can download this from our website.

Accreditation fees mainly consist of "application fees," "assessment fees," "registration fees," and "accreditation maintenance fees." Assessment fees are calculated by assessment days (Man Days). Detailed information can be found in Appendix C “Accreditation Fee Schedule” of the Conformity Assessment Body Accreditation Manual (KAB-AM-CAB).

The accreditation timeline varies significantly depending on the number of schemes (management system or person fields) applied for, the scope of accreditation, and other assessment preparation conditions. On average, it takes about 6 months until the accreditation assessment is completed and the accreditation certificate is issued, though this period may vary depending on the organization's status.

The requirements for receiving accreditation are as follows:

- Must be a legal entity capable of taking legal responsibility

- Must have operated a conformity assessment system reflecting the relevant KAB accreditation criteria for "3 months" or more

- Must secure sufficient qualified personnel

- Must ensure identification and minimization of impartiality risks

For applicants located outside of Korea, including offices under control that are not in Korea, the following additional conditions have to be met:

- Provision of accreditation service is not restricted according to international - agreements or regulations;

- Travel to the locations is not restricted by Korean governmental policy – - international travel is regarded as restricted when Korean government declares - the country as “Avoid Non-Essential Travel,” “Cancel Travel Plans,” or “Travel - Ban” country.

- Applicant confirms providing necessary translators when local language is not - Korean, including the case where documents are written in English but not - spoken in English.

- There is no negative feedback from the local AB concerning the applicant.

If you have any complaints or need to raise appeals regarding any of KAB's work, you can send them via “Contact” page of this website or via email anytime in any form, and KAB will handle them fairly according to relevant regulations.

Yes, KAB is currently a full member accreditation body of the international organization IAF (International Accreditation Forum) and the regional body APAC (Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation), and is active as a signatory to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA/MLA). This means that KAB accredited certifications have international recognition and validity anywhere in the world.
 
To check the accreditation schemes currently approved by IAF and APAC for international mutual recognition (MRA/MLA), please check “Accreditation” → “MRA/MLA” of this website.

KAB does not recommend certification bodies. Please compare certification bodies directly by searching for the certification standard you want through "Conformity Assessment Bodies“ → ”Scheme.“ You can refer to the certification body introduction and promotional material that appear when selecting the certification body name.

Statistics by year/region/industry classification code are provided through the "Statistics" menu of “KCN” tab. For more detailed certification statistics inquiries, please inquire through the “Contact” page in the “About KAB” tab of this website. 

KCN searches are limited to 3 times per day. For additional certification company data, please inquire through the “Contact” page in the “About KAB” tab of this website. 

Please inquire through the “Contact” page in the “About KAB” tab of this website.