KATS, the first financing partner of IEC GIF, takes the lead in resolving global challenges
—Interview with Ph.D. Jinseok Bae, KATS Liaison Officer to IEC Global Impact Fund
Can you please briefly introduce the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) and the Korean standards system?
Ph.D. Jinseok Bae: KATS is a government agency in Korea responsible for national standardization, product safety management, conformity assessment infrastructure, and technical regulation management. KATS consists of 4 Bureaus (Bureau of Standards Policy, Bureau of Product Safety Policy, Bureau of Conformity Policy, and Bureau of Technical Barriers to Trade Affairs) and 21 Divisions and serves as the National Committee (NC) secretariat for both IEC and ISO.
Korea operates a legal national standards system based on the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. The standardization system by law is shown in the following figure.
So far, KATS has participated in a total of 217 IEC Technical Committees and Subcommittees (115 TCs and 102 SCs). Korea has held secretariats of 8 TCs/SCs, and Korean experts have assumed Chairs of 7 TCs/SCs and 72 WG Convenors.
Figure 1: The standardization system of South Korea
KATS is the first financing partner of the IEC Global Impact Fund (GIF). Why does KATS think the participation of the IEC GlF is so important?
So far, KATS’s activities at the IEC have mainly focused on representing Korea’s interests similar to a general IEC member body.
However, with the launch of the IEC GIF in March 2022, we believe that KATS now has an opportunity to contribute to the international community through the IEC. This aligns with the current Korean government’s value of, “It is time for Korea, as a responsible member of the international community, to take the lead in resolving the challenges facing humanity.”
On March 13, 2024, KATS signed the contract and became the first financing partner of the IEC GIF.
How does KATS participate in the IEC GIF?
KATS has taken three approaches. First, KATS provides financial support to the IEC GIF. Second, KATS is trying to find how to utilize the standards developed by the IEC GIF. Third, KATS wants to give Korean SMEs, which already have the excellent standard technologies, the opportunity to share globally by participating in the next IEC GIF pilot project.
Through these activities, KATS has become a financing and enabling partner now. And KATS is looking forward to eventually being able to serve as a knowledge partner.
What experience has been gained through the participation? What is the future plan?
We realized that there are still many areas in the world that need IEC standards and conformity assessment systems. KATS plans to continue to support the IEC GIF activities and achievements, and analyze the effectiveness of Korean GIF activities.
Also, KATS helps Korean SMEs actively participate in the next IEC GIF projects.
Ph.D. Jinseok Bae delivers a keynote speech at the IEC Global Impact Fund Forum held in Nanjing city, Jiangsu province, China in June 2024.
How does KATS promote the understanding and use of IEC standards in South Korea?
KATS continues to hold seminars and workshops in which all stakeholders in Korea participate. Additionally, KATS implements a standardized curriculum from elementary school to graduate school. In addition, KATS communicates with Korean customers through existing promotional channels such as broadcasting and newspapers, as well as various ICT communication channels such as SNS and Youtube.
KATS is promoting the harmonization of IEC standards with Korea’s national standards and recommending various stakeholders, including regulatory authorities, to use national standards that have harmonized IEC standards.
About Ph.D. Jinseok Bae
As an expert in the field of electrical, electronic, and information standards at KATS for over 20 years, Ph.D.Jinseok Bae participated in actual standardization development work such as IEC, ISO, ITU-T, and IEEE.
Based on that experience,he served as head of the Metrology and Measurement Division and the Electrical, Electronics and Information Standards Division at KATS. He is currently the KATS Liaison Officer to IEC GIF, where he has a keen interest in IEC’s standardization policy for emerging technologies such as AI, quantum technology and metaverse, as well as “IEC GIF activities” for international community contribution.
