South Korea: Enforcement of Digital Signature Certificates for Cosmetic Companies (16 August 2023)

As of 16 August 2023, the Korea Cosmetic Association (KCA) will begin enforcing the requirement for electronic signature certificates. Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, and Laos are among the 8 countries that have the approval to apply the digital signature certificates, while, China is a new addition to the list.

The implementation of the digital signature certificate is aimed at enhancing the reliability and authenticity of electronic documents via electronic timestamps for cosmetic companies. The electronic certificate will be issued once per application and will be recorded in the database.

After receiving approval for the manufacturing and sale certificate, applicants may print out the digitally signed certificate to be used. Applicants can only use printed digital certificates with the “VALID” stamp. Meanwhile, for any digitally signed certificate submission made to the National Drug Administration of China, applicants are required to attach together with:

• Copy of sample certificate issuance

• Copy Digital signature certificate issuance instructions by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

• Copy of digital signature certificate printing manual

Above is the guidance for the electronic timestamps. Applicants are compulsory to ensure only use the electronic timestamps with “Valid” and the correct time and date of the certificate printed.

By complying with the enforcement, all electronic documents related to cosmetic industries would be secured from forgery or falsification. The initiative would also help industries to verify the authenticity of the documents.

Source: Korea Cosmetic Association (KCA)