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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 distributes a guide for serious civic accidents caused by raw materials under SAPA
South Korea distributes a guide for serious civic accidents caused by raw materials under SAPA

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea published and distributed a guide to serious civic accidents caused by raw materials and products under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (SAPA). The...

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Selection of the candidate substance subject to permission and collection of opinions
Selection of the candidate substance subject to permission and collection of opinions

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea introduced 'Designation and Management of Substance Subject to Permission System' in 2015. This is to designate chemical substances with a risk of harm as...

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