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The Ministry of Environment of Korea (MoE) published the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances (known as K-REACH) on January 1, 2015.  (The last update on 2024. 07. 10.). K-REACH aims to protect public health and the environment. This is achieved by four procedures: notification or registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemicals.

Under K-REACH, manufacturers or importers of a new chemical substance need to register the substances before manufacture or import. Substances less than 100 kg/ year (1t/year from January 1, 2025) only require notification and do not need to go through hazard evaluation. 

Manufacturers or importers of a Priority Existing Chemicals (PEC) substance must register the substances before manufacturing or importing. Pre-registration of PEC substances is impossible as the transition period has already passed.

Existing substances above 1 Tonne Per Annum (TPA) must be registered within grace periods. Only companies that carried out pre-registration can be entitled to the grace periods. The grace periods vary based on the tonnage band. After the grace periods for each tonnage band, existing substances within that tonnage band cannot be pre-registered, and they should be registered before placing the substances in Korea.

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South Korea Seeks Feedback on Toxic Substances Regulation Amendments.
South Korea Seeks Feedback on Toxic Substances Regulation Amendments.

On November 12, 2024, the Ministry of Environment announced an amendment to the "Regulations on the Specified Quantities of Toxic Substances, Restricted Substances, Prohibited Substances, and Permitted Substances." The purpose of...

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 South Korea to Revise K-REACH Hazard Classifications: Public Consultation Open Until 10 December 2024
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On November 20, 2024, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) published an administrative notice of Partial Revision of Regulations on the Classification and Labelling of Chemical Substances in accordance...

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