Quality Inspection in India for South Korean Importers

Key takeaways

Apparel, footwear and leather goods made up about three-quarters of the US$133 million India shipped to Korea in our categories in 2025; furniture was only US$4 million.
Korean labels may be applied in a bonded area after arrival, but country-of-origin marks must be on the goods at customs clearance, so they belong on the factory checklist.
KC marking applies only to products a ministerial decree places in a category under Korea's product safety acts. Confirm the category per item with your importer before production.
The India–Korea CEPA has been in force since 1 January 2010. Talks to upgrade it held a 12th round in May 2026, aiming to conclude in the first half of 2027.

What South Korea buys from India

Korea is a garment and leather market for Indian suppliers. India shipped US$133 million of the consumer goods we inspect to the Republic of Korea in calendar year 2025, up 6% on 2024. Home goods were US$29 million of that.

Source: UN Comtrade, India as reporter, calendar year 2025, FOB.
Category	India's exports to South Korea, 2025 (US$ million)
Knitted apparel (HS 61)	38
Woven apparel (HS 62)	30
Footwear (HS 64)	20
Leather goods and bags (HS 42; of which 4202 bags: 9)	14
Home textiles (HS 6301–6304)	10
Worked stone (HS 68; of which 6802: 5)	9
Furniture and lighting (HS 9401, 9403–9405)	4
Rugs and carpets (HS 57)	3

Footwear and leather goods together, at US$34 million, are a larger share here than in most of India's markets. For a Korean buyer, the inspection plan usually starts with garments, shoes and bags rather than furniture.

Where these goods are made in India

Knitwear: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, the Town of Export Excellence for hosiery. See T-shirt and knit top inspection.
Woven garments: Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad in Delhi NCR, Towns of Export Excellence for apparel. See woven shirt inspection.
Shoes, bags and small leather goods: Agra, Kanpur and Ambur, the Towns of Export Excellence for leather products. See leather shoe inspection, leather handbag inspection and wallets and small leather goods.
Bed linen and furnishings: Panipat, the Town of Export Excellence for bed linen. See bed sheet and duvet cover inspection.

For leather lines, the checks that matter most are panel shade matching across a pair or a bag, sole bonding and stitching at stress points, hardware finish, and mould prevention for a sea voyage. Delhi NCR has inspectors based there; Tirupur, Agra, Kanpur, Ambur and Panipat are charged at actual travel cost.

Origin marks and Korean labels: what to check at the factory

Korea treats labels and origin marks differently, and that decides what has to be right before the container leaves India.

Origin marks must be on at clearance. Korea's Foreign Trade Act (Article 33) governs origin marking of imported goods. US trade guidance on Korea (June 2026) says origin labelling is required for commercial shipments and must appear at customs clearance; Korean Customs Service publishes the requirements by HS code. We check that "Made in India" on the product, swing tag, polybag and carton is present, permanent enough for the product, and consistent.
Korean labels can come later. The same guidance says Korean-language labels may be applied in the bonded area before or after clearance, and that English text must match the Korean. If your tags are sewn in India, we compare them with your approved Korean file and photograph every variant; if they are applied in Korea, we check that the English labels carry the same fibre, size and care details.
Carton marks. Carton numbering, PO and style references and gross weights that match the packing list make a bonded-area relabelling job quicker and avoid opening the wrong cartons.

KC marking and packaging data

KC categories. The Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Act sorts covered products into safety certification, safety verification, supplier's declaration of conformity and compliance with safety standards. Which products sit in which category is set by ministerial decree, not by the Act itself, and the manufacturer or importer must mark covered products or their packages (Article 25 for the supplier's declaration). Products for children under 13 fall under a separate Special Act on the Safety of Children's Products, which also requires the KC mark before sale. Your Korean importer or a Korean test lab confirms the category for each item.

At the factory we check that the KC mark and any certificate or declaration number on the label match the model being shipped, and that materials and components have not changed since the samples were tested. Testing itself goes to an accredited lab through lab testing coordination.

Packaging. Korea Environment Corporation (KECO) says packaging producer responsibility applies to producers and importers of products in paper packs, metal cans, glass bottles and synthetic resin packaging, with small businesses exempt and annual reports due by 30 April. If your importer is obligated, we can weigh polybags, cartons and fillers per item during the inspection so the figures come from the goods actually shipped.

Rules that apply

There is no Korea checklist in our import compliance guides yet, so the points above cover the factory side. For how origin marks are judged across markets, see product labelling and country of origin.

The India–Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed on 7 August 2009 and came into effect on 1 January 2010, according to the Embassy of India in Seoul. Talks to upgrade it reached a 12th round in New Delhi on 25–27 May 2026, and a joint declaration in April 2026 aims for conclusion by the first half of 2027. We do not advise on duty or eligibility, which is for your customs broker. A pre-shipment inspection confirms that the goods, origin marks and producing factory match what the certificate of origin will state.

Timing, booking and price

Korea Standard Time is UTC+9 and India Standard Time UTC+5:30; neither uses daylight saving, so India is 3 hours 30 minutes behind all year. Our office hours, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm IST, Monday to Saturday, are 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm in Seoul. A message sent on a Seoul morning is waiting when our office opens at 1:00 pm your time, and the inspector's day on site ends in your evening. The report, with photographs and a verdict of Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared, follows within 24 hours after a supervisor's review.

An inspection costs US$249 per man-day: one inspector, one factory, eight working hours, report included. Travel is free in Jodhpur, US$99 per man-day in Jaipur, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, and actual cost elsewhere. For footwear and garments, a during-production inspection catches shade, sizing and bonding problems while they can still be fixed. See pricing or book an inspection.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Must Korean labels be applied in India?

Not always. US trade guidance on Korea says Korean-language labels can be applied in the bonded area before or after clearance. The country-of-origin mark is the exception: it must be on the goods at customs clearance, so it is checked at the factory.

Does every product need a KC mark?

No. Only products that ministerial decrees place in a category under Korea's product safety acts, such as certain electrical appliances, consumer products and children's products. Your importer or a Korean test lab confirms the category; we check that the mark on the goods matches the certified or declared model.

Can your inspectors read Korean labels?

Our inspectors work in English and Hindi. They compare printed Korean text with your approved file character by character and photograph every variant, so your team can confirm the wording.

Is the India–Korea CEPA still in force during the upgrade talks?

Yes. The agreement has applied since 1 January 2010, and the upgrade is being negotiated alongside it. Eligibility and duty questions go to your customs broker.

When will a Seoul buyer receive the report?

Within 24 hours of the inspection, after supervisor review, with photographs and a verdict. Send your Korean label files and size specifications with the booking so they are on the checklist.

Know before it ships

Tell us the product, the factory's city and your ready date. We confirm the inspector, the notice time and the price before you book.

Book an inspection Check your city

Quality inspection in India for importers in South Korea