The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards has called for setting international standards for new electric vehicle and hydrogen energy technologies. It has also requested support to be elected as a member of the International Organization for Standardization’s council board at the 42nd Pacific Area Standards Congress in Wellington, New Zealand.

The Pacific Area Standards Congress is a forum of standardization organizations from the Pacific area that meets to discuss international standardization issues with 24 member nations. 

During the four-day congress that kicked off Monday, Korea presented its latest policies, including the nation’s regulatory sandbox program centering on the encouragement of local companies to seek innovation and new opportunities by providing them with greater freedom and less control.

The Korean government also held bilateral meetings with the US, Canada, Australia and Japan to call for cooperation on setting international standards for new industries, including online electric vehicles and hydrogen energy. Online electric vehicles, first developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, refers to electric cars that charge wirelessly while moving using electromagnetic induction.

The US and Canada agreed to cooperate on setting international standards for the technology of electric vehicle wireless power transfer systems, according to the Korean government. The technology had been proposed by Korea to the International Electrotechnical Commission to be set as an international standard.

Canada and Japan also agreed to build a cooperative system to share knowledge and personnel in support of Korea setting international standards for hydrogen energy technology, the KATS said.

Korea also requested key member nations of the Pacific Area Standards Congress, including the US, Canada, Japan and China, to support Korea in becoming a member of ISO Council Board. The ISO Council Board is the highest body of the organization, and currently comprises 15 nations, including the US, Japan, China, the UK, France and Germany.

Korea was a member of the ISO Council Board until 2016. It must compete with other five nations, including Canada, for re-election in September.

“We will actively participate in regional standard organizations as well as international standard organizations for the re-election to the ISO Council Board. We will also strengthen standard cooperation with new southern and new northern nations as well,” said Lee Seung-woo, chief of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)