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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.
Regulatory Briefing
Chemical inventories in South Korea are regulated under the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances (ARECS), commonly known as K-REACH [136].
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Downloadable Content
- A Guide On The Amendment Of The Act On Registration, Evaluation, Etc. Of Chemicals On January 1, 2019 (korean)
- The List Of 332 Substances That Require Prompt Cico Establishment (english)
- Cosmetics Actionable Summary
- Food Contact Material Actionable Summary - South Korea
- Actionable Summary K-REACH 2025
- K-REACH Act (korean)
- K-REACH Act (english)
- K-REACH Enforcement Rule (english)
- Kosha Act (korean)
- Kosha Act (english)
- Kosha Enforcement Decree (english)
- Cosmetic Act (korean)
- Cosmetic Act Enforcement Decree (english)
- Cosmetic Act Enforcement Rule (english)
- Cosmetic Act Enforcement Decree (korean)
- Cosmetic Act Enforcement Rule (korean)
- K-REACH Enforcement Decree (korean)
- K-REACH Enforcement Rule (korean)
- Kosha Enforcement Decree (korean)
- A Guide On The Amendment Of The Act On Registration Evaluation Etc. Of Chemicals On January 1 2019 (english)
- Draft Amendment To The Public Notice On Hazard Assessment Results For New And Existing Substances_kr