So far we covered EN (Europe) and ANSI (US). But when gloves are bought and sold in Korea, what actually counts is KC. Let’s untangle the Korean system. The key question is which gloves are legally mandatory and which are voluntary. (← continued from Work Glove Certifications: The Full Map)
Summary
The umbrella for Korean glove certification is the KC mark. Below it sit two tiers: safety certification (mandatory) and self-regulatory confirmation (voluntary).
Among work gloves, only two are legally mandatory: chemical (organic-compound) and electrical (insulating) gloves. The rest (cut, heat, cold) are voluntary, with performance set by KS standards that adopt EN/ISO. Food gloves are governed not by KC but by the MFDS (food authority).
KC is the umbrella; two tiers below it
KC (the Korea Certification mark) is a unified mark used across many products. For protective equipment, it splits into two tiers by risk level.
Safety certification is mandatory for higher-risk PPE. A third party verifies it and keeps watching after sale. Self-regulatory confirmation is for lower-risk PPE, where the maker confirms and declares it meets the standard.
By analogy, safety certification is like “a license the state itself examines,” while self-confirmation is like “a registration where you declare you built it to spec and take responsibility.”
Mandatory: only two — chemical and electrical
Among work gloves, only two types require mandatory safety certification. Why only these two? Because the hazard is irreversible.
- Organic-compound (chemical) gloves — standard KS K ISO 374-1, matching EU EN ISO 374. Details in Chemical Glove Standard EN ISO 374.
- Insulating (electrical) gloves — standard KS C IEC 60903, matching IEC 60903. Details in Electrical Insulating Gloves IEC 60903.
The legal basis is OSH Act Article 84 and Enforcement Decree Article 74, with criteria in the protective-equipment safety-certification notice (MoEL 2023-64). Without the KC safety-certification mark, these two cannot be legally sold in Korea.
The voluntary rest: read them via KS
Cut, heat and cold gloves are not mandatory-certification items. That does not mean there is no standard. Korea reads their performance via KS standards that adopt international standards (ISO/EN).
| Hazard | Korean KS standard | Foreign equivalent | Mandatory in Korea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical/cut | KS K ISO 23388 | EN388 / ISO 23388 | voluntary |
| Chemical | KS K ISO 374-1 | EN ISO 374 | mandatory (safety cert) |
| Electrical | KS C IEC 60903 | IEC 60903 | mandatory (safety cert) |
| Food | MFDS notice | (FDA 21 CFR) | mandatory (food law) |
The table shows Korea and Europe share one ISO root. So once you can read EN388, KS K ISO 23388 reads almost the same way. The canonical guide to reading the code is How to Read EN388.
Food gloves are not KC
One trap: food gloves are not in the KC safety-certification system. They fall under the MFDS (food authority). The governing law is the Food Sanitation Act, not the OSH Act.
So food gloves follow the “standard for utensils, containers and packaging,” and that too is mandatory. See Food-Contact Glove Standards for details.
So how do you read it
When choosing gloves in Korea, the order is this. First, is your hazard a mandatory one (chemical, electrical)? If so, the KC safety-certification mark is required. Second, for voluntary hazards (cut, heat, cold), judge performance by KS/EN levels. Third, for food, check MFDS compliance.
In short, KC says “is it legal,” while KS/EN/ANSI numbers say “how well does it protect.” Two different questions — check both.
Sources
Law & standards (primary):
– OSH Act Article 84 (safety certification, law.go.kr)
– OSH Act Enforcement Decree Art. 74 (mandatory-certification items)
– Protective-equipment safety-certification notice (MoEL 2023-64)
– KC certification guide (KOSHA)
⚠ Claude Opus 4.8 (2026-06-28): The mandatory items (chemical and electrical gloves) and legal basis (Article 84, Decree Article 74, Notice 2023-64) were verified via law.go.kr. The KC mark details for safety certification vs self-confirmation and the notice annex figures should be checked against the originals before relying on them.
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