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Good practice Imported

Korea's Web Accessibility Quality Certification — A Digital Inclusion Act Cert Mark Backed by Three Government Bodies

South Korea · Seoul · See the South Korea profile · See the Seoul profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 24% 92/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

South Korea's Digital Inclusion Act backs a web accessibility certification issued by three government-designated bodies, covering over 17,500 sites. Yet the government's own benchmark shows average scores plateaued near 61/100 since 2020, despite rising certifications.

16,775 sites
Certified sites under current legal framework (WebWatch) (current legal framework)
811 sites
Certified sites under prior legal framework (WebWatch) (prior legal framework)
17,586 sites
Total certified sites (WebWatch) (cumulative)
53.7 points/100
Average web accessibility compliance score, 2019 (2019)
60.7 points/100
Average web accessibility compliance score, 2020 (2020)
60.8 points/100
Average web accessibility compliance score, 2021 (2021)
60.9 points/100
Average web accessibility compliance score, 2022 (2022)
Korea's Web Accessibility Quality Certification — A Digital Inclusion Act Cert Mark Backed by Three Government Bodies

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Ministry of Science and ICT (designated certification bodies: Korea Web Accessibility Certification Institute, WebWatch, Korean Association for the Blind)
Period
early 2010s–present (recodified under the Digital Inclusion Act, 2023)
Keywords
government, certification, digital accessibility, private sector adoption

Context

South Korea has operated a legally-recognised Web Accessibility Quality Certification since the early 2010s, most recently recodified under Article 21 of the 2023 Digital Inclusion Act. The Ministry of Science and ICT designates three certification bodies — the Korea Web Accessibility Certification Institute, WebWatch, and the Korean Association for the Blind — to audit public and private websites, apps, software and kiosks against the Korean Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (KWCAG 2.1), which align closely with international WCAG 2.1.

Activities

Organisations submit their websites, apps or kiosks to one of the three designated bodies for audit against KWCAG 2.1, receiving a legally-recognised certification mark if they pass.

Results

One of the three designated agencies, WebWatch, alone reports 17,586 certified sites (16,775 issued under the current law and 811 under the prior legal framework). Separately, the government's own longitudinal benchmark — the Annual Web Accessibility Survey run by the Ministry of Science and ICT — shows the average compliance score rising from 53.7 in 2019 to 60.9 in 2022, but nearly flat across the last three years measured (60.7 in 2020, 60.8 in 2021, 60.9 in 2022).

Conclusions

Certification volume has kept growing, but the government's own accessibility benchmark shows measured, real-world website accessibility improving only marginally since 2020, with the survey itself noting that 'notable gaps remain, especially among small and mid-sized organizations.'

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Three government-designated certifying bodies operate the audit and certification process under Ministry of Science and ICT oversight, funded through the standard national certification/regulatory apparatus.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Certification scheme operating since the early 2010s, recodified under the 2023 Digital Inclusion Act; the government's benchmark survey has tracked scores annually since at least 2019.
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Science and ICT policy oversight, Three government-designated certification bodies: Korea Web Accessibility Certification Institute, WebWatch, and the Korean Association for the Blind

Conditions for success

  • Legal backing under Article 21 of the 2023 Digital Inclusion Act
  • Alignment of national guidelines (KWCAG 2.1) with international WCAG 2.1 standards
  • Multiple designated certifying bodies increasing audit capacity across public and private sectors

Common failure modes

  • The government's own benchmark survey shows the average compliance score has been nearly flat (60.7 to 60.9) for three consecutive years despite rising certification volume
  • The survey itself flags persistent accessibility gaps among small and mid-sized organisations

Where it fits

Governance type
national government agency + designated certification bodies
Scale
national
Income level
high-income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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