Factual review: 6 October 2026.
AI-generated editorial illustration; not a production-approved label or placement diagram.
South Korea has its own national care-symbol system, KS K 0021. Preparing clothing for this market therefore involves more than translating an existing label. Your team needs to check the Korean symbols, their meanings and the other information required for the garment. KATS national standard catalogue.
This guide focuses on ordinary ready-made textile clothing for people aged 14 and above. Infant and children’s textiles and bespoke clothing fall outside the household-textile annex’s scope and need separate assessment. Household textile safety standard, Annex 1, section 1.
Korea has its own care-symbol system
The current edition listed by Korea’s official standards portal is KS K 0021:2024, revised on 31 December 2024. It defines textile-care symbols and their presentation. Use that edition when checking artwork; an undated internet chart does not establish which version it represents. KATS catalogue and revision history.
The Korean system has recognisable features of its own. Machine washing uses an upright washing-machine outline. Hand-washing marks use a tub with Korean wording. The standard also treats wringing as a separate group alongside washing, bleaching, ironing, professional cleaning and drying. KS K 0021:2024, sections 4.1–4.2, official viewer.
Some shapes may look familiar. That familiarity is not enough to approve an ISO, European, US or Japanese artwork file for Korean use. Check the actual Korean definition and permitted presentation.
How to read Korean washing symbols
Read the shape, temperature and Korean words together. A temperature alone does not tell you whether the garment permits normal machine washing, gentle washing or hand washing.
These selected examples explain the current standard in words. They are not a substitute for its production artwork.
| What appears in the Korean mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Washing-machine outline with 40°C | Normal machine washing, maximum 40°C. |
| Washing-machine outline with 40°C and 약 | Gentle machine washing, maximum 40°C. |
| Washing-machine outline with 30°C, 약 and 중성 | Gentle machine washing, maximum 30°C, using neutral detergent. |
| Tub with 손세탁 and 30°C | Gentle hand washing, maximum 30°C; machine washing is not permitted. |
| Crossed-out water-washing tub | Do not wash in water. |
Source: KS K 0021:2024, section 4.2(a), symbols 107, 108, 113, 115 and 118, printed pages 3–4.
The Korean wording carries part of the instruction
In the washing tables, 약 indicates gentle treatment, 매우 약 indicates very gentle treatment, 중성 specifies neutral detergent, and 손세탁 identifies hand washing. Removing those words can remove part of the care instruction. KS K 0021:2024, section 4.2(a), printed pages 3–4.
For example, the hand-wash entry above expressly excludes machine washing. A washing machine’s programme called “hand wash” should not be assumed to satisfy that instruction.
For artwork approval, ask the factory to identify the selected standard entry as well as supplying the image. That gives the reviewer a meaning to check, instead of a shape to guess.
Check wringing and drying too
The Korean standard includes a twisted-cloth mark crossed out to prohibit wringing. It also uses sun-like circles with wording and shading for some natural-drying instructions: one shaded version specifies hanging on a hanger in the shade. A circle alone does not establish that a Korean mark means dry cleaning. KS K 0021:2024, section 4.2(e)–(f), symbols 502 and 602, printed page 10.
Review the full care instruction after selecting the washing method. A correctly chosen wash temperature does not settle how the garment should be wrung, dried or finished.
How the symbol standard connects to the law
Korea’s household-goods safety notice applies a product-specific annex to household textiles. That annex references the latest editions of its listed standards, including KS K 0021. Safety notice, Article 2; Annex 1, section 2.
For clothing covered here, section 7.3.1 requires at least four appropriate kinds of care information, including a water-washing or dry-cleaning method, following KS K 0021’s definitions and presentation rules. It permits Korean text or symbols. Specified other items have exceptions. This is not a universal requirement to print four pictograms. Annex 1, section 7.3.1.
The practical distinction is between deciding what care is appropriate and deciding how to communicate it. Establish the first from the finished garment’s properties and supporting technical evidence, then prepare the Korean information.
What else belongs on the clothing label
For in-scope clothing, the annex lists:
- Fibre composition, covering relevant outer fabric, lining and filling.
- Manufacturer or importer name.
- Country of manufacture.
- A permitted date or identifier that allows the date of manufacture to be traced; imports may use import year and month.
- Care precautions.
- The labeller’s address and telephone number.
Size is recommended in this annex. Annex 1, section 6.1, Table 3.
Ask your Korean importer to check the chosen traceability field, business details and origin declaration before artwork approval. A style code is useful only if the underlying records support its intended purpose. Detailed fibre declarations and customs-origin decisions need their own review.
Korean wording and durable attachment
Required information is generally presented in Korean, with limited English exceptions. The usual attachment rule is sewing or an equivalent method that survives washing or dry cleaning without detaching or disappearing; product-specific exceptions apply. Annex 1, sections 6.1.1–6.2.
Proof the Korean copy at the actual print size. Check that small words within the washing marks remain legible and that seams or folds do not obscure them. Review the physical garment and its packaging together.
Check the product category before adding a KC mark
Care symbols communicate treatment. A KC mark concerns a different question: the applicable product-safety route.
For the safety-standards-compliance category that includes household textiles, Safety Korea’s official guidance says to provide the specified labelling without attaching a KC mark. Safety compliance still matters. Do not transfer this conclusion to infant or children’s products. Safety Korea, safety-standards-compliance system and marking guidance.
Before approving production
Use this review sequence with your supplier and Korean importer:
- Confirm classification: intended age group, garment type and applicable rules.
- Establish care: assess the finished garment, including trims, print and finish.
- Verify Korean marks: check the edition, selected definitions, temperature, process words and restrictions.
- Complete the information: proof composition, business contacts, origin and traceability.
- Inspect the sample: check legibility, attachment, folds and consistency with the approved artwork.
- Control the final version: give the factory one approved specification for the Korean range.
labelAccord supports Korean care-symbol sets in its live label preview and helps brands prepare labels using their selected care instructions.
Related guides
- Japan clothing labelling requirements
- EU care instructions and symbols
- US care-label requirements and ASTM symbols
Topics: Care Symbols