Shoes Also Launch Official Certification (KAS) Service

Busan, Korea's Only Official Footwear Product Certification... Certification Agency Plaque Ceremony Held on the 6th

KSA Certified Product Mark.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A credible quality certification system for products is being introduced to shoes as well. Now, officially certified shoe products will be available.

Busan City announced on the 6th at 1:30 PM that it held an approval plaque ceremony for the Korea Accreditation System (KAS) product certification body at the Shoe Industry Promotion Center and officially started the product certification service.

Currently, Korea operates the Korea Accreditation System (KAS), which guarantees credible quality for products through 19 industry-specific certification bodies such as eco-friendly agricultural products and clothing. However, until now, the official product accreditation system had not been introduced for finished shoes.

To enhance shoe quality and increase export competitiveness, Busan City has been promoting the "Shoe Performance Standardization and Certification System Establishment Project" since 2014. The Shoe Industry Promotion Center and the Korea Footwear & Leather Research Institute jointly invested 11.2 billion KRW over five years (2014?2019) to build testing facilities and equipment. On June 12, the Busan Economic Promotion Agency's Shoe Industry Promotion Center was officially approved as a KAS product certification body by the National Institute of Technology and Standards, and from that day, it began full-scale product certification services.

KAS is a system in which the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's National Institute of Technology and Standards officially recognizes the product evaluation and certification capabilities of accredited product certification bodies according to international standards.

The KAS product certification issued domestically is effective in 60 countries worldwide through mutual recognition agreements between countries, allowing products to be accepted without additional testing or certification abroad. It holds certification validity in most countries where domestic shoe companies mainly trade.

Byun Sung-wan, Acting Mayor of Busan, said, "With Busan's Shoe Industry Promotion Center recognized as a KAS accredited product certification body, it will strengthen the development and export competitiveness of the domestic shoe industry and also raise Busan's status in the shoe industry."

Following the plaque ceremony, a meeting was held in the third-floor conference room of the Shoe Industry Promotion Center, attended by Busan City officials, shoe industry representatives, and related organizations. The meeting, chaired by Park Sung-hoon, Busan City Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs, discussed the difficulties faced by the shoe industry due to COVID-19 and explored countermeasures.