South Korea Regulatory News

Since January 1, 2025, South Korea has been enforcing updated registration standards for new chemical substances under K-REACH. This update aligns with National Policy Task 68 (Safe Food, Healthy Livi...

Since January 1, 2025, South Korea has been enforcing updated registration standards for new chemical substances under K-REACH. This update aligns with National Policy Task 68 (Safe Food, Healthy Living Environment), which focuses on differentiated management based on the risk level and quantity of hazardous chemicals. 

Key Changes: 

• Registration Threshold: The threshold for manufacturing and importing these substances will increase from 0.1 to 1 tonne per year. 

• Hazard Categorization: The current definition of 'toxic substance' will be removed. Instead, substances will be categorized according to their hazardous characteristics, leading to a risk-based management system. Categories include: 

         - Acutely hazardous substances for humans 

         - Chronically hazardous substances for humans 

         - Substances harmful to ecology 

• Safety Enhancements:  

         - Expand disclosure of information on registered and reported chemical substances. 

         - Strengthen the reporting system. 

These changes aim to reduce the registration burden on companies while enhancing public safety and transparency. 

Policy Overview Highlights: 

• Revised registration standards for new chemical substances (from 0.1 tonne to 1 tonne per year). 

• New procedures for disclosure, reporting data adjustment, and adequacy review. 

• Defined management principles for substances with unidentified hazards. 

Effective Dates: 

January 1, 2025, and August 7, 2025. 

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) has updated the "Measures to Deal with Explosion and Fire" for 90 types of water-reactive substances. These updates, which came into effect on D...

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) has updated the "Measures to Deal with Explosion and Fire" for 90 types of water-reactive substances. These updates, which came into effect on December 23, 2024, are now available on the Chemical Information Site.  

Key Points: 

• Importance of Correct Fire Extinguishing Methods: Using the wrong methods to extinguish fires involving water-reactive substances can lead to greater damage. 

• Workplace Preparedness: Workplaces must update their Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to reflect these revisions and ensure that workers receive appropriate MSDS training. 

For more information, click here. 

On January 8, 2025, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a proposed amendment to food labelling standards. The purpose of the amendme...

On January 8, 2025, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a proposed amendment to food labelling standards. The purpose of the amendment is to better inform consumers to promote public health and to enhance the consumer information and labelling system to protect human health and safety.   

Key Content 

1. Permit the use of labelling stickers in Korean language on food products intended for export. If the products are cancelled for export and not for sale (such as for donation or promotional use), they can simply be re-labelled with stickers in Korean language on top of the original labelling in the foreign language. 

2. Reflecting the amendments of the “Enforcement Rule of the Act on Labelling and Advertising of Foods” in the labelling standards and correcting some words in the standards. 

3. Incorporated the amendments of “Standards and Specifications of Food” and “Standards and Specification of Food Additives” into the labelling standards and overhauling the related regulations: Certain terms and categories will be revised to reduce confusion, including the names of various categories of dried seaweed. 

4. Provide a template for nutrition facts labelling of food products which consist of both processed food and natural products.  

Submission of Comments 

Individuals and organizations are invited to submit a written comment by February 28, 2025.  The date of adoption and entry into force are yet to be determined. 

The Korean Ministry of Environment has announced that the safety information for raw materials in 76 household chemical products will be made available on the Green Nuri Living Environment Safety Info...

The Korean Ministry of Environment has announced that the safety information for raw materials in 76 household chemical products will be made available on the Green Nuri Living Environment Safety Information System (https://ecolife.me.go.kr/ecolife/systemInfo ) starting December 12, 2024. This initiative aims to help consumers easily verify the safety of products through an intuitive leaf grading system. 

Key Highlights: 

• Leaf Grading System: The safety of each product is indicated by the number of leaves, ranging from one to four. Four leaves signify no safety concerns, while one leaf indicates that safer alternatives are recommended. 

• Voluntary Participation: Fifteen companies have voluntarily disclosed safety information for ingredients in 11 categories, including detergents and laundry detergents, covering a total of 76 products. 

• Safety Grades: None of the disclosed products received the lowest grade, which recommends substitution with safer ingredients. The majority of products fell into the three-leaf category, representing 55.8% of the total. 

• Consumer Trust: Park Yeon-jae, Director of the Environmental Health Bureau, emphasized that this transparency will help consumers easily understand safety information and build trust in the companies involved. 

Looking ahead, the Ministry plans to launch a next-generation chemical product management system in the first half of 2025, which will provide even more detailed safety information to ensure consumer safety. 

On September 26, 2024, the Ministry of Environment announced a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Waste Management Act. This amendment aims to enhance waste management practices and al...

On September 26, 2024, the Ministry of Environment announced a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Waste Management Act. This amendment aims to enhance waste management practices and align regulations with current standards.

Key changes include: 

1. Return of Follow-up Management Performance Deposits: Adjusting the interest rate for returning deposits to match the average rate of one-year term deposits at commercial banks. 

2. Updated Definition of Waste Toxic Substances: Aligning with the revised Chemicals Control Act to better classify toxic substances. 

3. Clarification of Medical Waste Categories: Including human secretions such as bodily fluids, secretions, and sputum (excluding blood) as medical waste. 

4. Enhancement of Recycling Facilities: Upgrading classification facilities to enforcement ordinances specifying types of waste treatment facilities. 

5. Standardization of Expiration Dates for Waste Disposal Business Conformity: Distributing expiration dates of conformity confirmations evenly over five years. 

Detailed Amendments 

1. Return of Follow-up Management Performance Deposits (Article 31): 

• The return rate will be adjusted to reflect the average interest rate of one-year term deposits at commercial banks. 

2. Classification of Toxic Substances (Annex 1): 

• Toxic substances will be categorized as acute, chronic, or ecological hazards under the Chemicals Control Act. 

• Additional categories include restricted, permitted, prohibited, and accident-preparedness substances. 

3. Medical Waste Definition (Annex 2): 

• Human secretions such as bodily fluids, secretions, and sputum (excluding blood) will be classified as general medical waste. 

4. Recycling Facilities (Annex 3): 

• Classification facilities will be upgraded to enforcement ordinances specifying types of waste treatment facilities. 

5. Conformity Confirmation Expiration Dates (Schedule 5): 

• The initial expiration date for existing processors licensed until 2023 will be evenly distributed over five years. 

• The validity period will start in the month's first quarter following the approval date. 

The  public consultation ended on November 6, 2024.  

On September 25, 2024, South Korea released a draft Act on Compensation and Relief for Damages of Household Chemical Products for public consultation. The proposed legislation aims to address health r...

On September 25, 2024, South Korea released a draft Act on Compensation and Relief for Damages of Household Chemical Products for public consultation. The proposed legislation aims to address health risks associated with household chemical products and provide a framework for compensating victims of chemical-related damages. Stakeholders are invited to review and provide feedback on this important initiative. 

Reason for the Draft 

The Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances which came into force on January 1, 2015, aims to protect public health and the environment by registering chemical substances, evaluating their harmfulness and risk, and managing information on these substances. However, incidents such as the 2011 humidifier disinfectant case, where harmful chemicals such as PHMG and PGH caused severe lung damage and fatalities, highlight the need for more specific legislation to address damages caused by household chemical products. This draft Act seeks to prevent harm from everyday chemical products, ensure public health safety, and establish a legal framework to compensate for unexpected damages from harmful chemicals. 

Key Content 

1. Effective Compensation System: Establishes a system to quickly and fairly compensate victims of chemical side effects from everyday chemicals by clarifying liability and reducing the burden of proof (Article 1). 

2. Definition of Living Chemical Products: Defines "living chemical products" as those used in daily life, such as in homes, schools, and offices, as prescribed by the Presidential Decree (Proposal 2, Subparagraph 1). 

3. Joint Liability: Manufacturers of household chemical products are jointly liable for compensation if users suffer from diseases or fatalities due to these products (Article 6). 

4. Presumption of Causation: This presumes that diseases caused by household chemical products are due to their use when there is a considerable probability (Article 7). 

5. Access to Information: Grants the right to request information from manufacturers to determine the scope of damage claims (Article 8). 

6. Relief Benefits: Specifies the types of benefits provided to relieve health damage caused by household chemical products (Article 9). 

7. Judging Committee Regulations: Establishes regulations for the independence and security of members of the judging committee and stipulates the disclosure of their meetings (Proposals 16 and 18). 

8. Relief Fund: Creates a disease damage relief fund to cover expenses for paying relief benefits (Proposal Article 32 (1)). 

9. Re-examination Committee: Forms a re-examination committee within the Ministry of Environment to handle requests for examination and re-examination of damage recognition (Article 45 (1)). 

10. Support for Victims: Provides necessary support, including psychological and daily life counseling, for the stability and social adaptation of victims and their families (Proposal Article 53 (1)). 

This draft Act aims to enhance the safety management of household chemical products and ensure swift and fair compensation for any harm caused, thereby protecting public health and well-being.  The full text of the draft can be found here (in Korean). 

The National Institute of Chemical Safety in South Korea has announced the development of an advanced ultrasonic detector that can detect high-pressure gas leaks within 0.5 seconds. This innovative t...

The National Institute of Chemical Safety in South Korea has announced the development of an advanced ultrasonic detector that can detect high-pressure gas leaks within 0.5 seconds. This innovative technology overcomes the limitations of current electrochemical detectors, which are slower and less accurate. The ultrasonic sensor is expected to significantly reduce the damage caused by chemical accidents by quickly calculating and reporting the amount of leakage. 

State-Owned Patent and Industry Collaboration 

The National Institute of Chemical Safety has applied for a state-owned patent and partnered with SM Instruments Co., Ltd. to complete the prototype. Next year, they will collaborate with semiconductor companies to test its field applicability and begin mass production. This innovation marks a new paradigm in sensor technology and aims to enhance chemical safety in the semiconductor and display industries.