LG Electronics (066570) has secured the qualification to directly conduct cybersecurity certification testing for wireless communication products sold in Europe at its own research laboratory. By dramatically streamlining the previously complex procedure of sending new product prototypes to overseas testing agencies for certification, the company can now significantly reduce both the time and cost from product development to market launch.
LG Electronics announced on the 11th that its SW Certified Testing Laboratory, operating under the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) division, has obtained designated testing laboratory status from global certification body TÜV Rheinland for cybersecurity regulations under the European Radio Equipment Directive (RED). A qualification ceremony held on the 10th at TÜV Rheinland Korea’s headquarters was attended by Shim Woo-gon, head of LG Electronics’ SW Engineering Research Institute; Kim Dong-wook, head of the SW Center; and Frank Juettner, CEO of TÜV Rheinland Korea.
The RED is a regulation requiring high-level security and safety standards for products incorporating wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that are distributed in the European market. Since last year, related standards have been significantly strengthened, mandating security features capable of protecting networks and personal information from external cyberattacks and preventing financial fraud.
With this qualification, LG Electronics can now perform the security testing required for RED certification at its own testing laboratory. Under this arrangement, LG Electronics conducts tests according to prescribed standards and submits the results to TÜV Rheinland, which then reviews the data and issues certification without requiring separate duplicate testing.
LG Electronics explained that this will reduce the time and costs associated with logistics and external testing, while also lowering the possibility of security information about products under development being leaked externally. The company expects particularly significant benefits in business-to-business (B2B) sectors such as automotive components and HVAC. This is because B2B products frequently require software and functionality modifications tailored to individual client requirements, and the necessary security verification for each modification can now be conducted rapidly in-house.
LG Electronics has been continuously strengthening its capabilities to respond to global software-related regulations. In 2019, the SW Certified Testing Laboratory became the first domestic manufacturer to obtain international accredited testing laboratory status from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) in the field of system and electrical/electronic software quality measurement. Since then, the laboratory has steadily expanded its testing scope, covering system software functional safety in 2020, automotive software functional safety from 2021 to 2022, and home appliance functional safety in 2023.
In the cybersecurity field, the laboratory obtained KOLAS international accredited testing laboratory status for Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity in 2024, followed by testing qualification in the same field from TÜV Rheinland in 2025. This year, the company has demonstrated its technical capabilities by securing cybersecurity testing qualifications for European wireless communication-enabled products from both KOLAS and TÜV Rheinland.
LG Electronics is also pursuing accredited testing laboratory status to respond to the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), scheduled to take effect in Europe in 2027. The CRA is a comprehensive regulation that imposes cybersecurity obligations on all products containing digital elements, including software, regardless of whether they support wireless communication functions. The company plans to proactively respond by combining the security expertise of the Next-Generation Computing Research Institute under the CTO with the testing laboratory operational capabilities of the SW Center.
Efforts to strengthen product security itself are also underway in parallel. LG Electronics operates a security framework spanning the entire product lifecycle—from the development stage through post-launch—via its integrated security system, “LG Shield.” While providing security patches to address vulnerabilities discovered after product release, the company is also developing post-quantum cryptography (PQC) technology to prepare for the risk that advances in quantum computing could render existing encryption technologies obsolete.
Kim Dong-wook, Executive Vice President and head of LG Electronics’ SW Center, stated, “Based on our globally proven software competitiveness, we will rapidly deliver safer and more reliable products and services to our customers.”