South Korea Regulatory News

National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea updated the Toxic Chemical Substances List on June 22nd, 2021.  After the hazard assessment under K-REACH, 13 substances ...

National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea updated the Toxic Chemical Substances List on June 22nd, 2021. 

After the hazard assessment under K-REACH, 13 substances were revised, and 19 substances were newly added to the list. 

The revised substances are as follows: No. 97-1-9, No. 97-1-134, No. 97-1-250, No. 97-1-281, No. 97-1-297, No. 97-1-299, No. 97-1-309, No. 97-1-416, No. 97-1-423, No. 97-1-457, No. 97-1-466, No. 2002-1-529, No. 2017-1-762. 

The newly added substances are: from No. 2021-1-1038 to No. 2021-1-1056. 

Manufacturers or importers of these toxic chemical substances must identify and label them by January 1st, 2022. 

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea is consulting on a draft amendment of the K-REACH enforcement decree and rule, which was published on June 3rd. The draft of decree amendment ma...

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea is consulting on a draft amendment of the K-REACH enforcement decree and rule, which was published on June 3rd.

The draft of decree amendment mainly proposes revisions including removing the requirement for polymer submissions to include risk assessment data, designating substance subject to permission, and sharing information with the Office of Customs Administration.

The draft of rule amendment mainly includes submitting feedback on the results of substance hazardous assessments, exemption to data protection request, and data to be submitted when applying for registration of Nano materials.

The deadline of this consultation is July 13, 2021.

Update: 2021-06-28

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea updated the list of pre-registered substances, which in total becomes 17,096 substances. The list includes 1,800 substances that are manufactured ...

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea updated the list of pre-registered substances, which in total becomes 17,096 substances. The list includes 1,800 substances that are manufactured and imported more than 1000 tpa and 78 CMR substances. The full registration deadline for these substances is by 31 December this year.

The MoE indicates no extension to the 2021 registration deadline though there was three months extension for 510 Priority Existing Chemicals (PEC) registration in 2018. 

Companies shall aim to complete full registration at least three months before the deadline as it might take some time to get a registration certificate due to a compliance check. The MoE regularly monitors pre-registration status e.g. tonnage band so that the companies can meet the deadline. 

Last update: 2021-05-11

The recent partial amendment to K-REACH has been approved by South Korea's parliament on 13 April, and it will be enforced on 14 October. This amendment outlines the culpability of downstream...

The recent partial amendment to K-REACH has been approved by South Korea's parliament on 13 April, and it will be enforced on 14 October. This amendment outlines the culpability of downstream users and resellers that employ unregistered substances. 

Chemical manufacturers and importers who use more than 100 kg of new substances every year, and more than 1 tonnes of existing substances every year obliged to register the substances before starting their business activities. Otherwise, they will face penalties or bans. 

The amendment included not only manufacturers and importers but also downstream users and sellers. In case of non-compliance, there may be risks of recall or ban. However, the detailed sanctions have not yet materialized. 

The amendment also enables the MoE to cooperate with other authorities such as the Customs Office so that the MoE can request import/export documentation concerning a specific substance.

Last Update: 2021-05-11

A new chemical risk assessment reporting system also known as Chemical Accident Prevention Management Plan (CAPMP) has been in place since April 1 in South Korea. This new syst...

A new chemical risk assessment reporting system also known as Chemical Accident Prevention Management Plan (CAPMP) has been in place since April 1 in South Korea. This new system integrates two existing risk reporting systems - an off-site consequence analysis report and a risk management plan. This reporting system is expected to reduce redundancy and processing time. 

Any facilities managing controlled substances under Chemical Control Act (CCA) should submit to this new plan. Depending on the risks of a substance and its amounts, facilities are categorized into two groups - Group one and two.

Basic information of the substances, risk management plan, and onsite emergency plan are required for all facilities regardless of the facility category. On the other hand, Group one facilities where they have more risks to human and the environment should submit an off-site emergency plan. 

All the submitted reports will be reviewed and inspected by the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS). If the reports are not approved, the facilities should re-submit within two months. The reports should be updated every five years.

Last update: 2021-04-16

The Ministry of Environment in South Korea plans to include lubricants in the list of products subject to safety checks. 39 consumer products have been listed in K-BPR that will need safety c...

The Ministry of Environment in South Korea plans to include lubricants in the list of products subject to safety checks. 39 consumer products have been listed in K-BPR that will need safety checks. The draft amendment proposed to include lubricants under the 'coatings' category. Once this draft is approved and implemented, lubricants manufacturers and importers should obtain a certificate of effectiveness and efficacy. 

Moreover, the amendment bans the following five substances in lubricants:

• vinyl chloride;
• tetrachloroethylene;
• trichloroethylene;
• dichloromethane; and
• ethylene dichloride.

Further, it restricts the following substances: 

• formaldehyde – 70 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) or less;
• acetaldehyde – 50mg/kg or less;
• benzene – less than 10mg/kg;
• bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate – 800mg/kg or less;
• naphthalene – 100mg/kg or less; and
• nickel – 100mg/kg or less.

Last updates: 2021-04-16

Persistent Organic Pollutants (PoPs) will be added to the priority control substance list under K-REACH. The Ministry of Environment in South Korea published the national PoPs management plan on 2...

Persistent Organic Pollutants (PoPs) will be added to the priority control substance list under K-REACH. The Ministry of Environment in South Korea published the national PoPs management plan on 28 January. However, the implementation date is not yet decided.

According to this new plan, manufacturers producing products with priority control substances will need to submit an additional report. The new national plan applies to the years 2021-25 and the substances that are subject to this new plan includes PCBs, PFASs e.g. perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). 

Last update: 18 March 2021