The government is taking steps to rationalize radio wave regulations, such as exempting industrial equipment from conformity assessments and improving the inspection of radio wave application facilities in semiconductor manufacturing plants to a building-unit inspection method.

The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-ho) announced on the 10th that it has issued a legislative notice for amendments to the "Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Radio Waves Act" as a follow-up measure to the "Regulatory Innovation Plan to Boost the Vitality of the Digital Industry" announced on the 9th, and that the amendments will be implemented within this year and in January of next year.

First, considering that small quantities of industrial equipment used for special purposes in industrial sites are utilized by specialized personnel in limited locations and are not sold to general consumers, resulting in minimal impact on daily life such as electromagnetic waves, the import has been exempted from conformity assessment.

In accordance with the Radio Waves Act, equipment that causes electromagnetic interference or is affected by electromagnetic waves must undergo a conformity assessment to verify compliance with technical standards, such as the prevention of radio wave interference, before being manufactured, imported, or sold.

Industrial equipment used in production facilities, such as semiconductor manufacturing, is subject to conformity assessment. The industry has consistently raised concerns that customs clearance is delayed due to the conformity assessment verification process upon import, making it difficult to secure parts quickly.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Science and ICT (National Radio Research Institute) [provides] industrial equipment used in restricted spaces with access control and capable of managing distribution recordsAn amendment to the 'Notice on Conformity Assessment of Broadcasting and Telecommunications Equipment, etc.' was prepared through collaboration between the Korea Customs Service and relevant ministries to include ash in the category exempt from conformity assessment.

The proposed amendment to the notice will be subject to administrative notice starting November 11 and is scheduled to be implemented in January 2023.

With this revision, the supply time for equipment required for semiconductor production facilities that operate 24 hours a day, year-round is expected to be shortened from about 1 to 2 months to 1 day.

In addition, improvements have been made to allow wireless inspections by licensed frequency on a building-by-building basis for facilities within buildings equipped with electromagnetic shielding, such as semiconductor manufacturing facilities, without interrupting the manufacturing process.

In addition, improvements have been made to reduce the burden on facility owners by lowering inspection fees based on frequency and simplifying administrative forms, such as construction design documents submitted with permit applications.

Previously, inspections of radio wave application equipment (frequency, electric field strength, etc.) applied to semiconductor manufacturing facilities and the like were required in principle to be performed directly on each piece of equipment after halting the manufacturing process, which has been a burden on companies. However, going forward, facilities equipped with electromagnetic shielding will be able to conduct collective equipment inspections outside the building on a building-wide basis without interrupting the process, instead of inspecting each piece of equipment individually.

To this end, the Ministry of Science and ICT has prepared an amendment to the 'Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Radio Waves Act,' which will be announced for legislative notice starting November 10 and is scheduled to be implemented within the year.

When the amendment is implemented, the inspection period will be shortened from about 7 days to 1 day, and uncertainty regarding the suspension of manufacturing processes will be eliminated. Furthermore, it is expected that the burden on related industries, such as semiconductors, will be alleviated through the reduction of inspection fees and the simplification of administrative forms.

Choi Woo-hyuk, Director General of the Radio Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “This system improvement addresses requests made on the ground by the semiconductor production and equipment industries and was prepared to reflect the opinions of the industry,” adding"It is expected to contribute to the revitalization of related industries through the rapid customs clearance of industrial equipment, such as semiconductor production equipment, and the uninterrupted operation of semiconductor manufacturing facilities," they stated.

He also said, “We will continue to proactively identify and address difficulties in industrial sites through active administration.”