Singapore and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mutual recognition of IoT security certification schemes.

The deal was signed between the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) with the Singapore Cyber Security Agency (CSA).

This marks the first official step towards working-level cooperation. For the coming six months, comparative analyses between the IoT security certification systems of both countries will take place to complete the equivalence assessment. The goal is to sign a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) on IoT security certification by the latter half of next year.

Once the MRA comes into effect, the international credibility of Korean IoT products certified for security should be significantly improved and the burden of obtaining a local certification will be removed. This should result in time and costs savings when Korean IoT products are exported to Singapore, allowing for Korean products to gain a competitive advantage over products from other countries in terms of price, quality and consumer trust.

South Korea, with the increased national trust in certified IoT products, is seeing growth for IoT security certification in fields beyond the existing focus on the housing sector with home security wall-pad devices in apartment complexes. This expansion is anticipated to encompass fields including home appliances, transportation, manufacturing, finance, smart city, medicine and communications. 

Singapore has already established MRAs on IoT security certification systems with countries such as Germany and Finland. The goal is to enhance the international credibility of the Korean IoT security certification system and make it more likely for Korea to sign IoT security certification MRAs with European countries, such as Germany and Finland.

The USA and European countries are either operating or preparing their respective IoT security certification systems. Considering this, the MRA on IoT security certification systems between South Korea and Singapore should establish an institutional foundation to respond flexibly to international regulatory trends.

The certification authorities of Singapore and South Korea hope the MRA will bring mutual and equal benefits. Specifically, this MoU between the Korean KISA and the Singaporean CSA aims to expedite working-level operations and contains agreements to commence such efforts in a timely manner.

Subsequently, both countries will engage in deliberations on the details of two certification systems, based on comparative analyses of the systems including matters related to certification levels and lower-level procedures. If equivalence in the certification standards is confirmed, KISA and CSA (www.csa.gov.sg) will proceed with the final signing of the MRA, which is expected to be the first of its kind in Korea. 

MSIT determines and notifies certification standards for IoT technology applied in eight fields, namely home appliances, transportation, finance, smart city, medicine, manufacturing and production, housing, and communications.

MSIT (www.msit.go.kr) and KISA (www.kisa.or.kr) have undertaken a proactive approach to prepare for the MRA, including seeking administrative advice from relevant ministries and agencies.

MSIT deputy minister Hong Jin Bae said the establishment of a cooperative system with Singapore provided a great opportunity for domestic IoT products certified for security. He said: “MSIT will operate a systematic certification system, while establishing a continuous cooperation framework with various countries around the world, to support Korean IoT businesses in manufacturing, distributing and exporting excellent products.”