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The Ministry of Environment of Korea (MoE) enacted the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) on January 1, 2015 (last updated on July 10, 2024). K-REACH aims to protect public health and the environment through four key regulatory procedures: notification or registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemical substances.

Under K-REACH, manufacturers or importers of new chemical substances must register the substances before manufacture or import.

New chemical substances below 1 tonne per year (increased from 100 kg/year as of January 1, 2025) are subject to notification instead of registration and do not require hazard evaluation.

Manufacturers or importers of Priority Existing Chemical (PEC) substances must register the substances before manufacture or import.

Pre-registration of PEC substances is no longer possible, as the applicable transition period has already expired.

Existing chemical substances manufactured or imported at 1 tonne per annum (TPA) or more must be registered within the applicable grace periods. Only companies that have completed pre-registration are eligible for these grace periods, which vary depending on the tonnage band.

Once the applicable grace period for a tonnage band has expired, existing substances within that tonnage band can no longer be pre-registered and must be registered before manufacture or import 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].

Please log in or register to access the full regulatory briefing and download the related documents.

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News

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South Korea Proposes Partial Amendment to the Regulation on the Classification and Labelling of Chemical Substances (Updated)
South Korea Proposes Partial Amendment to the Regulation on the Classification and Labelling of Chemical Substances (Updated)

Sep-18-2026

Notification CLP Amendment Chemical control act Evaluation Public Consultation Guidelines Enforcement Hazardous Substances Articles Classification and Labelling

Update September 28, 2026: On September 18, 2026, NICS finalized the amendment through Notification No. 2026-17, effective on the same day. The final notification retains the addition of 38 substances, revisions...

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South Korea Updates K-REACH Guidance on Data Sharing and Cost Allocation
South Korea Updates K-REACH Guidance on Data Sharing and Cost Allocation

Jun-26-2026

Amendment Joint Registration Chemical Data Sharing cost Obligations Notification New Substance Tonnage Band Enforcement Compliance Manufacture Importer K-REACH

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has published a revised edition of the Practical Guide on Sharing Registration Application Data and Cost Allocation under South Korea’s K-REACH framework. The updated...

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