National Standards System in Korea

Young Chan Myoung, Ph.D. International Standards Cooperation Division Korean Agency for Technology and Standards I. INTRODUCTION The standards system, as a rule, means a system of the bases for the obje tive judgment that is used to measure or estimate the !uality or degree of something, or a system of the moral prin iples "hi h affe t people#s attitudes and behavior, su h as so ial institutions, regulations, ustoms, traditions, et . The term of Standards in the National Standards System (NSS) usually stands for physi al, hemi al, or me hani al standards for s ien e and te hnology. They in lude, for e$ample, measurement units, physi al and hemi al onstants, industrial standards, engineering odes, safety standards, et . %ll of these standards should be a set of onsistent and reliable ones for ommon understanding and re ognition in all so io& e onomi a tivities en ompassing s ien e and te hnology, industry, edu ation, trade, publi health, national defense, and even our daily living. Therefore, the 'SS is one of the most important basi systems or (ey infrastructures underpinning out ivili)ed so iety. %s the "orld e onomy gro"s to be more interdependent among the ountries and regions, global efforts are made to redu e the technical barriers to trade. The metrology ommunities are addressing the recognition of the equivalence of the national measurement standards, "hi h provides te hni al basis for "ider agreements related to trade. %ll of these surroundings en ourage every nation to moderni)e its national standards system, as "ell as the 'MI#s to "or( more losely than before "ith industry and a ademia at home, and "ith other 'MI#s and regional*international metrology organi)ations abroad. +e ogni)ing the importan e of the 'SS, ,orean -overnment reated the ,orea +esear h Institute of Standards and S ien e in ./01 2 then the ,orea Standards +esear h Institute 2 as the entral authority of the national measurement standards system. In addition, the 3Framework Act on National Standards# "as established in ./// laying a legal basis for the advan ement of the 'SS in ,orea. The ,+ISS "as formally designated by the % t as the national metrology institute of ,orea "ith missions of establishing and disseminating the national measurement standards and of representing the +epubli of ,orea to the international ommunities of metrology. It is anti ipated that ,+ISS "ill play a more riti al role in developing the national standards system of ,orea.
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II. A BRIE RE!IE" ON NATIONA# STANDADS S$STE% There has been no internationally standardi)ed definition for 'SS, but it is ustomary to lassify the 'SS into the three ategories of measurement standards, do umentary standards, and referen e standards. % brief definition for ea h of these may be as follo"s4 Measurement Standards The primary purpose of measurement standards is to maintain the a ura y of measurements made by various se tors of a so iety, and to ensure the ompatibility of data and information produ ed thereof. The international tra eability is an essential ingredient in measurement standards, and thus the reali)ation of the International System of 5nits as defined by the International Committee of 6eights and Measures 7CIPM8 plays a (ey role in establishing the national measurement standards. The dissemination of measurement standards is usually arried out by alibration of measuring instruments as "ell as the Certified +eferen e Materials 7C+Ms8 used for proper operation of analyti al instruments for hara teri)ing the physi al, hemi al or me hani al properties of various materials. Documentary Standards This refers to the various spe ifi ations or terms of produ ts, pro edures, environments, managerial !uality systems, et . for the purpose of ensuring industrial effi ien y, safety and smooth trade among other things. Do umentary standards are usually made voluntarily among the interested parties, but espe ially the ones related "ith safety are imposed mandatory. Reference Standards 9ften (no"n as Standards +eferen e Data 7S+D8, this refers to a set of numeri al data that spe ify physi al, hemi al or me hani al properties of obje ts su h as natural s ien es, engineering materials and even human bodies. These data play an in reasingly important role not only in s ien e and engineering "or(s, but also in industrial a tivities. The s ope of S+D (eeps gro"ing a ordingly. 6hile do umentary standards, more ommonly (no"n as industrial standards, is more dire tly related "ith various industrial a tivities, the use of measurement standards ranges mu h more "idely, overing virtually all aspe ts of so io&e onomi a tivities. There are intrinsi relationships among the three ategories of 'SS as sho"n in :ig. ..
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Industrial Activities
Design, Production, Quality Management, Transaction, Communications, Transportation, etc.

Doc&mentary Standards

eference for establishing documentary standards

Reference Standards

!onformity Assessment of "roducts# Service# etc$

%easurement &asis for !reating eference Standards' eliability of %easurement Standards

%eas&rement Standards

<:igure .. Intrinsi +elationships of 'SS= %ll the three ategories of 'SS are re!uired for proper and effi ient fun tioning of industry and ommer e, thus forming an indispensable ba (bone of modern e onomy. The measurement standards, ho"ever, is an essential ingredient in e$e uting any do umentary standards. This also plays an important role in developing referen e standards. In this regard, the measurement standards serve truly as the standards of the standards, and this is "hy the measurement standards is being handled by government agen ies in many ountries as non&profit organi)ations.

III.

NATIONA# STANDARDS S$STE% IN KOREA

In old agronomi days, traditional !uantities su h as length, mass and volume "ere suffi ient for ensuring the proper fun tioning of a so iety. %nd, one of the prin ipal missions the ruler of a ne" dynasty had to ta(e over at the very in eption "as to issue a de ree for "eights and measures. >o"ever, as the human so iety developed into an in reasingly sophisti ated one, it be ame apparent that the old system of "eights and measures had to be repla ed "ith orrespondingly omple$ ones, and thus the modern on ept of 'SS "as born. ?i(e most of the nations in the "orld, ,orea also has a long history of the 'SS. >o"ever, the establishment of an 'SS in ,orea to meet the various demands of
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modern industriali)ed so iety is tra ed ba ( to ./01 "hen the ,orea +esear h Institute of Standards and S ien e 7,+ISS8 & then the ,orea Standards +esear h Institute 7,S+I8 2 "as born. +e ogni)ing the importan e of the 'SS, ,orean -overnment set up the ,+ISS as the entral authority of the national measurement standards system, "hi h laid the foundation of the moderni)ed 'SS in ,orea. In addition, the 3:rame"or( % t on 'ational Standards# "as established in ./// laying a legal basis for the advan ement of national standards system. The % t designates ,+ISS as the national metrology institute representing ,orea to the international ommunities of metrology. 6hile the ,+ISS is responsible for the development, maintenan e and dissemination of national measurement standards, the ,orean Ministry of Commer e, Industry and Anergy 7M9CIA8 has ontrol and authority over the ,orean Industrial Standard 7,S* 8 "hi h is the most important do umentary standards for the ,orean industries. 5nder the supervision of the %gen y for Standards and Te hnology 7%TS8 of the M9CIA, the ,orea Standards %sso iation 7,S%8 ta(es responsibility for the publi ation and dissemination of ,S. :or preparing ,S, the %TS organi)es a variety of national te hni al ommittees "hose members omprise spe ialists from ,+ISS, ,S%, universities, and industries. :igure ; sho"s the overall s heme of the 'SS in ,orea, indi ating "ho is responsible for ea h area of the national standards a tivities. It is true that the development of do umentary standards re!uires onsiderable s ientifi and te hnologi al e$pertise. >o"ever, the do umentary standards by themselves tell nothing more than the general hara teristi s spe ified for individual produ ts or pro edures. +elations of these standards "ould re!uire different sets of e$pertise that is based on s ientifi and te hnologi al approa h to measurement standards. 6ithout su h e$pertise, the do umentary standards "ould remain merely as do uments. Thus, in a true sense, the measurement standards onstitute the ba (bone of the national standards system. In order to meet the demands of industries, ,+ISS has a long&term plan to establish ;BB areas of national standards, onsisting of .;; for measurement standards and .CC for testing. %s of De ember ;DDE, .0B areas of national standards, in luding .D@ areas for measurement standards and 01 for testing, have been established. The a ura y levels for some of these are already on a par "ith those of the most advan ed ountries. ,+ISS has been ma(ing every effort to upgrade the present level of measurement un ertainty, "hile e$panding the measurement areas enough to serve the gro"ing needs of industry.

Measurement Standards

Do umentary Standards

?egal Metrology

?aboratory % reditation

(nter) national

CGPM, CIPM, BIPM

IS9, IAC

9IM?

I?%C

egional

APMP

%P?M:

%P?%C

National

KRISS

%TS 7M9CIA8

,S%

,9?%S

C-PM CIPM FIPM IS9 IAC 9IM? I?%C %PMP %P?M: %P?%C ,+ISS %TS M9CIA ,S% ,9?%S

-eneral Conferen e on 6eights and Measures International Committee of 6eights and Measures International Fureau of 6eights and Measures International 9rgani)ation for Standardi)ation International Ale trote hni al Committee International 9rgani)ation of ?egal Metrology International ?aboratory % reditation Cooperation %sia*Pa ifi Metrology Programme %sia Pa ifi ?egal Metrology :orum %sia Pa ifi ?aboratory % reditation Cooperation ,orea +esear h Institute of Standards and S ien e %gen y for Te hnology and Standards Ministry of Commer e, Industry and Anergy ,orea Standards %sso iation ,orea ?aboratory % reditation S heme
Tra eability Cooperation

<:igure ;. 'ational Standards System of ,orea=