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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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News

South Korea updates the hazard review of chemical substances
South Korea updates the hazard review of chemical substances

The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea updates ‘the results of hazard review of chemical substances’ under the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH).   The main...

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Withdrawal of 130 Pre-registered Biocidal Substances in South Korea
Withdrawal of 130 Pre-registered Biocidal Substances in South Korea

A re-assessment of use ahead of approval deadlines was carried out in late May in South Korea, where more than 20% of existing pre-registered biocidal substances under their domestic Consumer Chemical...

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ACF GHS Report