A new pathway has opened for obtaining international certification using results from industrial artificial intelligence (AI) tests and evaluations conducted in South Korea. The Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) and a Swiss certification body have established mutual recognition, which is expected to reduce the burden of duplicate testing and certification costs for domestic companies. Hyundai AutoEver and Wizcore have received international joint certifications through this collaborative framework.
On October 20, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy hosted the '4th International Industrial AI Certification Forum' at COEX in Seoul, where joint certifications issued through mutual recognition with the Swiss certification body CertX were awarded to two domestic companies, Hyundai AutoEver and Wizcore.
CertX is a certification body affiliated with the Swiss SGS Group, a global testing, inspection, and certification company. It collaborates with KTL to issue international certifications based on domestic test results.
The International Industrial AI Certification evaluates the performance, quality, safety, and reliability of AI products and services used in manufacturing, based on international standards. Technologies such as automatic inspection of defective products and predictive maintenance for equipment failures are key areas of certification.
Previously, domestic companies faced challenges in entering overseas markets due to varying certification requirements and the burden of duplicate testing across different countries. Even if they had already undergone testing and evaluation in South Korea, they often had to repeat similar procedures to obtain international certifications. To address these issues, the government has been operating a mutual recognition system between KTL and CertX since November of last year.
The issuance of this international joint certification marks a significant achievement in utilizing domestic test results for obtaining overseas certifications. Hyundai AutoEver and Wizcore can now acquire international certifications without repeating the same tests for recognized items, thereby reducing costs and time. This will also help demonstrate the performance and reliability of their AI products and services to overseas clients.
Since launching the International Industrial AI Certification Forum in June 2023, the government has been working to establish a domestic certification system. In June 2024, Hyundai AutoEver became the first company to receive an industrial AI certification in South Korea, and the number of participating organizations in the forum has expanded from 17 to 23. During the third forum held in September of last year, seven new testing and evaluation organizations, including the Korea Construction and Living Environment Testing Institute, were designated.
The relevance of the International Industrial AI Certification is expected to grow in light of increasing AI regulations abroad. The European Union is gradually implementing regulations related to the safety and reliability of AI products and services through the AI Act. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to objectively demonstrate the performance and risk management levels of their products.
At this forum, representatives from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and domestic experts will discuss the changes in the international trade environment in the AI era and the importance of ensuring reliability. Companies such as Lotte Holdings, Hyundai AutoEver, and Wizcore will also share their experiences in utilizing certifications.
Kim Gyu-sung, head of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, stated, "The issuance of this international certification demonstrates the global applicability of our domestic testing and certification system. We will actively support the expansion of mutual recognition with overseas certification bodies to reduce the burden of duplicate testing for companies and help our M.AX companies enter the global market."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.