「국가표준기본법」 상 국가표준체계의 균형있는 발전을 위한 법정책적 개선방안

Korea enacted the “Framework Act on National Standards” in 1999 to have the nation establish and operate a national standards system, also referred to as a national quality infrastructure. Three key elements for the establishment and operation of a national standards system are standardization, metrology, and conformity assessment. Metrology provides the scientific and technical basis for standardization and conformity assessment, and standardization refers to the documentation of the quality requirements of products and systems through the means of written standards that include technical standards. Lastly, conformity assessment refers to the task of confirming technical requirements through tests and evaluations based on the two aforementioned elements. Whereas the “Framework Act on National Standards” has been revised to a certain degree since its enactment in 1999 due to changes in both domestic and overseas circumstances, it has yet to be considered based on the three elements of a national standards system. Therefore, this study aims to propose a legal policy-based improvement plan for the improvement of the national quality infrastructure based on cases of international organizations and overseas metrology institutes. First, the structure of the “Framework Act on National Standards” should be improved to ensure that the three elements of the national quality infrastructure, standardization, metrology, and conformity assessment, are operated as separate systems. Second, the governance and legal structure of standards-related duties should be improved from the perspective of national quality improvement. Third, the National Standards Deliberative Committee should have its role expanded and status raised. Lastly, the decentralization of the conformity assessment system should be pursued to be able to swiftly adjust to the rapidly changing environment.