KISA and Germany Cooperate on IoT Security Certification Systems... "Export of Excellent Products"

Signed Letter of Intent for Cooperation with BIS
Expecting Future Mutual Recognition Agreement

The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) announced on the 11th that, with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT, it has signed a letter of intent for mutual cooperation on the Internet of Things (IoT) security certification system with the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).

At the IoT Security Certification Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony held on the 11th, officials are taking a commemorative photo. (From left) Lee Ik-seop, Head of Security Certification Division at KISA; Kim Jeong-hee, Head of Digital Safety Support Headquarters; Lee Sang-jung, Director; Claudia Platner, Chief of BSI; Julia Jurn, International Policy Officer; Lee Jae-hyung, Head of Convergence Security Certification Team at KISA.

BSI is the federal cybersecurity authority in Germany and implements an IT security labeling system for consumer devices. The two agencies held a remote meeting for mutual cooperation on IoT security certification and signed the letter of intent.

This letter of intent aims to confirm the mutual commitment between the two countries to establish mutual recognition of IoT security certification systems, exchange best practices regarding their certification systems, collaborate on IoT security technology standards, and promote mutual recognition evaluations.

Based on this, both countries hope to reach a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for IoT security certification systems. An MRA refers to an agreement between national certification bodies operating similar certification systems to mutually recognize each other's certification schemes.

Once the mutual recognition of IoT security certification systems between the two countries takes effect, it will significantly save time and costs by allowing domestic products to be exported without the need for local certification in Germany, as well as enhancing the international credibility of Korean products.

Currently, to support the overseas expansion of domestically certified IoT security products, an MRA with Singapore is being pursued, and for this purpose, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Korea and Singapore was signed at the end of last year.

This cooperation with Germany is expected to serve as a foundation for establishing an institutional framework that can flexibly respond to recent cybersecurity trends in Europe.

Lee Sang-jung, President of KISA, stated, "Based on internationally recognized certification systems, we will continue to expand cooperation with major overseas countries so that domestic IoT manufacturers can export excellent products."