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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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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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South Korea updates the list of low-risk biocidal substances to be exempted from K-BPR
South Korea updates the list of low-risk biocidal substances to be exempted from K-BPR

National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea updated the list of low-risk biocidal substances, which can be exempted from K-BPR, on Sep 27th. There are 4 low-risk biocidal substances added...

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