Registration of Chemical Substances in South Korea

Chemical Regulations in South Korea are managed by various Ministries such as the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, etc. under numerous laws based on the uses and hazard properties of chemical substances. The aim of all the Authorities is to protect human health and the environment from the toxicity of chemicals. The table below summarizes various Ministries and the Laws involved in the Regulation of chemicals in South Korea.

Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (K-REACH) for industrial Chemicals is monitored by the Ministry of Environment. The K-REACH amended Act was published in March 2018 and came into force on Jan 1 2019. Any company with an intent to import or manufacture a new chemical substance or an existing chemical substance must register under K-REACH. The requirement for registration is as follows:

• All the new substances must be registered before manufacture or import. Any substance that is manufactured or imported <100kg/y must only require notification and do not need to go through hazard evaluation.
• All existing substances manufactured or imported greater than or equal to 1 ton per year must be registered within given grace periods. Also, to benefit from these grace periods, the manufacturers or importers must notify the following information to the Ministry of Environment (MoE) in advance ("pre-notification"):
  • Information of the Company
  • Name of the Substance
  • The volume of the Substance
  • Classification of the Substance
  • Information on the Use of the Substance

Based on the amended K-REACH, new substances must be registered before manufacture or import and the existing substances manufacturing greater than or equal to 1 ton per year must be registered within the deadlines (or grace periods) listed below:

• For the first 510 existing chemical substances manufactured or imported 1 ton per year - July 1 2018
• For existing chemical substances greater than or equal to 1000 tonnes per year and CMR substances greater than or equal to 1 ton per year - Dec 31 2021
• For existing chemical substances manufactured or imported 100-1000 tonnes per year - Dec 31 2024
• For existing chemical substances manufactured or imported 1-100 tonnes per year - Dec 31 2030

In addition, any foreign manufacturer, who wishes to export chemical substances into Korea, must appoint a Korea-based representative for registrations and pre-notification submissions. How precise is your knowledge of the Korean Regulatory processes? Consult an expert to keep you abreast with the defined deadlines.

Stay informed. Stay compliant.