ASTM Conducts Workshop in Collaboration with Korean Standards Organizations

ASTM Chairman Roger Stoller Speaks at Event in Seoul

ASTM International, in collaboration with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards and the Korean Standards Association, conducted a Standardization Workshop on April 16 at the COEX Conference Center in Seoul, South Korea. KATS and ASTM International have been partners through a memorandum of understanding since May 2006. Together, KATS and KSA have been very strong supporters of Korean industry participation in ASTM technical committee work. The workshop was another positive step in the developing relationship between ASTM International and KATS.

The full-day workshop consisted of a plenary session and two industry sector breakout sessions. Yoon Jong-Ku, Ph.D., director, International Standards Cooperation Division, opened the workshop on behalf of KATS. As opening speaker, KSA President Choi Kap-Hong conveyed the strategic value of standards in general and ASTM standards in particular relative to competitiveness and corporate strategy. He noted that standards are tools that assist organizations in accomplishing strategic objectives in today's global marketplace, which consists of diverse languages, cultures, institutions and environments.

Teresa J. Cendrowska, vice president of global cooperation, ASTM International, spoke about the ASTM–KATS partnership, how ASTM standards might contribute to KATS' 3S strategic program and the opportunity for additional collaboration.

Other KATS and ASTM speakers addressed three industry sectors. Among them, Kim You-Kyum, Ph.D., of the FITI Testing and Research Institute, introduced the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act regulation and its importance to Korean domestic industries, particularly in the area of textiles. Andrew Farhat of Intertek, Arlington Heights, Ill., addressed the mutual relationship between CPSIA and ASTM International standards.

The afternoon's two breakout sessions addressed the civil nuclear energy sector and the steel sector. Representing ASTM International in the nuclear sector was Roger Stoller, Ph.D., Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and current chairman of the ASTM International board of directors. His topic was the current status and technical perspective of ASTM's nuclear energy standardization. Among several other speakers, Jung Yeon-Ki of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety addressed the referencing of ASTM standards for regulations of the Korean nuclear energy industry.

Consultant John Mahaney, Ph.D., immediate past chairman of Committee A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys, spoke about standardization activities of and technical trends in the ASTM steel committee. Another of the steel sector speakers, Korean ASTM member Choi Min-Seok of the Pohang Iron and Steel Company (POSCO), addressed POSCO's best practice for facilitating revisions to ASTM standards.

Choi Kap-Hong, president, Korean Standards Association, delivers his presentation at the Standardization Workshop held in Seoul, South Korea, on April 16.