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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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The government in South Korea decides to release regulations that hinder business activities.
The government in South Korea decides to release regulations that hinder business activities.

In South Korea, the government has decided to break down uniform chemical regulations for small and medium-sized companies by unifying multiple ministries' double approval process to resolve corporate site difficulties significantly. ...

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South Korea publishes Key Amendment Contents of the Regulations on Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Control Act
South Korea publishes Key Amendment Contents of the Regulations on Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Control Act

On June 12, 2023, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) released an announcement regarding the contents of the amendment of the Regulations on Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Control...

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