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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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News

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South Korea Proposes Amendment to K-REACH Enforcement Rules: Key Changes for Joint Registration, Data Submission, and OR Transfers
South Korea Proposes Amendment to K-REACH Enforcement Rules: Key Changes for Joint Registration, Data Submission, and OR Transfers

Mar-02-2026

K-REACH Only Representative OR Amendment Joint Registration

On February 11, 2026, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) released a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K‑REACH). The proposed revision aligns...

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South Korea Proposes Partial Amendment to “Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances” under K-REACH
South Korea Proposes Partial Amendment to “Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances” under K-REACH

Feb-19-2026

K-REACH Amendment Chemical Hazard Assessment

The National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) has published a draft administrative notice proposing a partial amendment to the “Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances” under the Act on the Registration...

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