Korean Standards Association(KSA) celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 13, which first issued the KS mark on white electric bulbs produced by Kumho Electric Co. in 1963 and since then, some 10,284 KS marks have been issued as of the end of 2011, the KSA said.

The association celebrated the anniversary at a ceremony held at InterContinental Hotel in southern Seoul, on March 13 with over 200 guests and top officials of the association attending including Minister Hong Suk-woo of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

 Minister Hong remarked at the event that a creative quality management has been getting attention these days with rapid changes in technology development including design factor as a means to overcome the uncertainty of the world economy, calling pn the association to double its effort for the search of more diverse quality management methods and expansion to help our products to be brand items that consumers will buy gladly despite their high prices.

 Chairman Kim Chang-ryong, in his welcoming speech, remarked that the KSA has been able to expand the standardization and quality management to all industries in Korea helping to build infrastructures for Korea’s industrial take-off in the past half century of operation, which otherwise would have been impossible had it not been for customers’ help and cooperation and those others with so much interest in quality of goods.

 From 2008, KSA expanded its certification area to funeral parlors, golf course, and condominium, among service areas, showing that the efforts for industrial standardization has become a base for our industrial progress, Chairman Kim said.

 Standard certificates are important as customers can buy goods and services knowing that the goods and services with the certificates have standard qualities. Printing papers have certain standard sizes and without them, the paper industry would have been chaotic, the chairman said.

 The chairman said there is an old saying that those who dominate standards will dominate the world. Chinese Emperor Tsin and Caesar first standardized the volume measurement when they took power. Bill Gates standardized the Internet operation with his company’s Microsoft Word and competition to set standards in the 3-D and Oled TV is growing intensive, showing that standardization could maker or break business firms.

 Kim said KSA will spread its certification issuance to the service sectors and education on standardization so that it is well managed in this time of  the age of quality management. Hyundai Motor has developed to be a leading auto maker in the world due to its well managed quality of all  the parts and technologies that go into make a car. KSA will go to any length to help boost qualities of goods and services at the jobsites of industries.

During the ceremony, KSA declared its new Vision to become a first-rate global knowledge service organization by undertaking a sustainable management based on customer, talented personnel and result-centered  Three Grand strategic targets.

By 2030, KSA targets to be counted among the seven largest civilian standards organizations in the world, in the area of creating global brand-name goods, KSA will lead the area globally, in the certification area, KSA will become a leading certification organization and in the area of education, KSA will become a cradle for high customer value and become a force to boost Korea’s international competitiveness.

 KSA is an organization that provides both standardization and quality management training and education in Korea, and it implements a variety of researches and activities related to standardization and quality management in order to build a global standard that can live up to Korea’s tradition as a great power in standards.