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S. Korea to adopt ISO supply chain security standard
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will adopt international standards governing supply chain safety to help local companies overcome potential delays in product shipping, the government said Sunday.
The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (ATS) said it has designated Korea Register (KR) as the body to issue ISO 28000 certification to local companies that meet rigorous safety and control criteria.
KR, established in 1960, is a local ship classification society and a member of the International Association of Classification Societies. It has also been listed in the Institute Classification Clause (ICC) of London Underwriters.
ISO 28000 standards, set by the International Standards Organization (ISO), specify strict requirements on the security management of global supply chains, including those covering the movement of containers.
The ATS said that accreditation by a certified body is necessary due to growing demands for shipment security following the September 11 attacks against the U.S.
"South Korean companies are already feeling the pinch of tightened security in the form of delayed shipments that translate into increased transaction costs," said an official. He said that certified companies can pass through heightened inspection regimes because they have already met security standards in advance.
This, he said, will give a competitive edge to South Korean companies that obtain the safety certification.
The ATS pointed out that introducing ISO 28000 is doubly important because the U.S. is moving to check all shipments entering its ports, while global organizations like the International Maritime Organization, the World Customs Organization and the European Commission are all taking similar measures.
The measures are aimed to guard against possible terrorist acts using commercial supply chains.
Meanwhile, citing a report by Stanford University, the agency under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said that certified South Korean companies could benefit from a 48 percent reduction in customs inspection time and a 29 percent drop in overall transit time, compared to those that have to go through heightened checks.
It added that on-time shipping could go up by 30 percent, while theft in transit could go down by 38 percent.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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