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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.

News

News

South Korea consults for the Regulation on preparation methods for registration application dossier and hazard review methods
South Korea consults for the Regulation on preparation methods for registration application dossier and hazard review methods

The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea consults on a draft amendment of ‘Regulation on preparation methods for registration application dossier and hazard review methods’ under the Act...

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South Korea updates amended K-REACH Enforcement Rules
South Korea updates amended K-REACH Enforcement Rules

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea updates the Enforcement Rules of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH). The main updates include: Requirement on hazard reviews including...

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