South Korea extends farm machinery certification to driverless and electric equipment

The Herald Business reports that South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on Nov. 5 that a revised agricultural machinery certification notice takes effect on Nov. 6. According to the outlet, the revision follows a farm-sector safety management plan the ministry announced in June.

The Herald Business says machines that travel under on-site or remote supervision, with no driver aboard, now come under certification. It reports that they must stop automatically when they detect an obstacle or leave their work path. The outlet adds that the standards reflect ISO 18497. It also says electric and hydrogen-powered equipment gets safety standards for the first time, including testing standards for lithium-ion batteries, while reverse-entrapment safeguards and night reflector rules are tightened.

The report does not name who must obtain certification, and it gives no transition or enforcement timeline. It does not say how units already in dealer stock are treated. The detail here comes from the Herald Business report of the ministry’s announcement; we have not seen the ministry notice itself.