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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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K-BPR: What are impacts of the South Korea’s Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Management Law amendments to the industry?
K-BPR: What are impacts of the South Korea’s Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Management Law amendments to the industry?

The Consumer Chemical Products and Biocide Safety Act amendment, often known as K-BPR, was promulgated on 24 March, and 26 May 2020 and will be enforced on 1 January 2021. The...

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K-REACH: What are the next steps after pre-registration?
K-REACH: What are the next steps after pre-registration?

The first registration deadline under K-REACH is by 31 December 2021, which applies to those who manufacture and import existing chemical substances exceeding 1,000 tons per year, or carcinogenic, mutagenic, or...

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