Korea's National Institute of Technology and Standards (KATS) formally published Notice No. 2025-402 on 27 October 2025, revising a total of 34 safety standards for electrical appliances. The large-scale update streamlines administrative terminology so that companies, certification bodies and other parties can understand and apply the standards more efficiently.

A broad revision

The revision covers everyday household appliances, commercial equipment, key components and advanced technology products.

Main standards revised

- Home appliances: safety requirements are updated for air purifiers (KC 60335-2-65), humidifiers (KC 60335-2-98), refrigerators (KC 60335-2-24), storage and instantaneous water heaters (KC 60335-2-21 and -35) and battery chargers (KC 60335-2-29).

- Commercial kitchen equipment: standards are revised for commercial electric fryers (KC 60335-2-37), griddles (KC 60335-2-38), forced convection ovens (KC 60335-2-42) and other commercial cooking appliances.

- Lighting and components: the general safety standard for luminaires (KC 60598-1), single-capped fluorescent lamps (KC 61199) and LED modules for general lighting (KC 62031) are included.

- Power connection and electric vehicles: particular requirements for household plugs and socket-outlets (KC 60884-2 series) and the compatibility standard for conductive charging interfaces for electric vehicles (KC 62196-2) are adjusted.

- Battery safety: requirements are updated for lithium-ion cells for portable devices (KC 62133-2) and, notably, for lithium-ion batteries made from used batteries (KC 10031).

- IT equipment: the safety standard for audio/video, information and communication technology equipment (KC 62368-1) is also revised.

KATS says the revision is mainly about harmonising terminology and improving wording so that the standards are clearer and less ambiguous in application, helping companies understand and comply with the rules, safeguarding the basic safety of electrical products and protecting consumers.