Difference between Korean Standards KS X and KS C

KS X and KS C are both classification prefixes for South Korean national standards (Korean Industrial Standards). KS X is the newer prefix that has replaced older KS C designations for information technology in 1997.

The Main Difference

• KS C: The older prefix used for electrical, electronic, and information exchange standards.
• KS X: The modern prefix introduced in 1997 when South Korea reorganized its standards. It is dedicated strictly to Information Technology (IT), data processing, and communication systems.

Examples for famous Renamings

When the system changed, many well-known data and character standards were moved from KS C to KS X:

• KS C 5601 became KS X 1001 (The standard Korean character set "Korean Wansung" for Hangul and Hanja).
• KS C 5636 became KS X 1003 (The Korean version of ASCII).
• KS C 5700 became KS X 1005-1 (The Korean standard for Unicode).

Other standards from other areas than information technologies have other prefixes from KS A (Basic General such as fundamental standards and terminology) to KS W (Aerospace such as airframes and aviation electronic equipment).