Police Obtain Internationally Certified Accreditation in Footprint, Tire Track, and Document Examination Fields

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Police Agency building. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency announced on the 9th that it has obtained the 'Internationally Accredited Testing Laboratory' certificate from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) for three fields: footprint, tire track, and document (handwriting) examination.

The international accreditation for testing laboratories is a system that certifies the testing capabilities in specific fields by evaluating the organization, facilities/environment, and personnel of the testing institution according to international standards. In Korea, this is overseen by KOLAS under the National Institute of Technology and Standards.

The police explained that with this certification, the examination procedures and methods in the fields of footprint, tire track, and document (handwriting) analysis have been recognized for their expertise and objectivity not only domestically but also in 118 countries worldwide. Previously, the police have continuously pursued accreditation in fingerprint examination (2010), digital forensics (2020), and face recognition and video (license plate) analysis (2021).

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, said, "As the scope of internationally accredited testing laboratories expands, it is expected that the international reliability and evidentiary power in court of police forensic examination fields will be further enhanced."