The official laboratory accreditation scheme is a system by which a nationally authorized agency (Korea Agency for Technology and Standards(KATS)) calibration in accordance with internationally approved evaluation standards ((ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020), and review the quality system and technological power of testing institutions for official calibration, before approving each individual institution. When an institution is approved, testing results issued by that institute are considered to have the official seal of authority.
In advanced countries, this system is adopted as countermeasures for the technological barriers to overseas trading, and as a way to improve analysis capabilities of the testing institution.
As of November 2005, 20 testing institution accreditation agencies from 15 countries are members of APLAC MRA, while 53 institutions from 44 countries are members of ILAC MRA. All members recognize as official results issued by participating members from other countries.