• How to comply with amended OSHA

• List of CMR substances that must be registered by 2021
• List of substances exempt from registration or reporting
• List of priority control substances

K-REACH pre-notification is required for all >=1t/y existing substances. It should be done between 1 Jan 2019 and 30 June 2019.

• All you need to know about K-REACH pre-notification

National Assembly passes South Korea's updated K-REACH and BPR. The president will sign the bill within 15 days of the vote and the bill should become law 20 days after that. The new regulations will come into force on 1 Jan 2019.

• National Assembly passes South Korea's updated K-REACH
• National Assembly Minutues - in Korean
• How to Comply with Amended K-REACH 2018

A draft version of Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act (K-BPR) has been passed by a sub-committee of the Environment and Labor Committee in end Jan 2018. The new regulation is expected to come into force on 1 Jan 2019.

• How to Comply with Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act (K-BPR)

The Ministry of Environment announced significantly reduced registration data requirements for substances currently classed as "non-hazardous" under GHS from June 2018. This is part of MoE's effort to support SMEs with the registration of all >=1t/y existing chemical substances.

• Read More: CW News  - 19 Oct 2017 (English)
• MoE Notice 18 Oct 2017

The Ministry of Environment announced that the bills to establish a new biocidal production regulation (K-BPR) and to revise the "Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH)” have been approved by the Cabinet meeting on 8 Aug.

Main requirements in new K-BPR

• Biocides and biocidal products must be approved by the MOE first before they can be placed on Korean market.
• Biocide treated products can only use approved-biocides and must be labelled with the biocides used and related risk info. 

Main revisions of approved K-REACH amendments

• For <100kg/y new substances, a notification system will be introduced to replace current small quantity registration. 
• All >=1t/y existing chemical substances will require registration.
• A pre-registration system will be introduced to existing substances. 
• >=1t/y existing substances must be registered within below proposed deadlines:
• 2021: >= 1000 ton/y and carcinogenic substance
• 2024: 100 ~ 1000 ton/y
• 2017:  10 ~ 100 ton/y
• 2030: 1~10 ton/y
• Data requirements depend on tonnage bands and GHS classifications. For substances which are not classified as hazardous according to GHS,  required data can be significantly reduced.
• Read more....

Chemical Watch: Major business association wants scaled-back K-REACH

• Read more...

MoE seeks public comments on the amended lists of restricted substances under K-REACH. 

• Download [in Korean, pdf]

This list of lead registrants (LRs) for 308 of the 510 priority existing chemical substances (PECs) is updated.

• Download [pdf]

Korea officially notified WTO of its K-REACH amendment (G/TBT/N/KOR/700). The full text of proposed K-REACH regulation (in Korean) can be downloaded below:

• https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2017/TBT/KOR/17_0096_00_x.pdf
• https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2017/TBT/KOR/17_0096_01_x.pdf

Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) announced amendments to the Designation of Product(s) of Risk Concerns and Safety and Labelling Standards.

The main changes are listed as follows:

• 3 more types of products are designated as product of risk concern: ironing auxiliaries, ink cartridges and toners and algicides.
• More hazardous substances are restricted in household chemical products. For example, 2-Methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one and 5-Chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one are prohibited for use in all spray products. The content of Ethylene glycol shall not exceed 0.2% when used in deodorizing agents. Chloroethylene shall not exceed 0.04% when used in coating agents.
• Labelling of hazardous substances in household chemical products will be stricter. For chemical products containing biocidal active substances and designated hazardous substances under K-REACH, the name of the substance, the purpose of the substance and its percentage must be included on the label, regardless of its concentration. Substances causing allergic reactions shall be given on the label when used at 0.01% or more.
• Violation of the Safety and Labeling Standards may lead to the imprisonment for not more than 7 years or a fine of up to KRW 200 million (approximately $1,700,000 in USD).

Download: Designation of Product(s) of Risk Concerns and Safety and Labelling Standards (MoE Notice No. 2016-254) (in Korean).

Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) proposed a new Act named the ‘Safety Control Act of Household Chemical Products and Biocidal Products. The intent is to prevent similar incidents to that of the humidifier disinfectants that killed hundreds of Koreans.

Currently, household chemical products and biocidal products are regulated under K-REACH. Once this new Act comes into force, the provisions related to household chemical products and biocidal products under K-REACH will be transferred to the new Act.

The main requirements of the new Act are listed as follows:

• Biocidal active substances and biocidal products need to be approved first before they can be marked in South Korea;
• Household chemical products containing hazardous chemical substances require notification and need to comply with relevant safety and labelling standards.

Download: Draft Safety Control Act of Household Chemical Products and Biocidal Products(in Korean)

Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) published proposed amendments to K-REACH regulation (formally known as the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals).

The main changes are listed as follows:

• Annual  report system will be abolished. A new pre-registration scheme will be introduced to all >=1t/y existing substances (likely in late 2018);
• The system of designating prioritized existing substances subject to registration will be abolished. All >=1t/y existing substances (~7,000) will need to be registered within tonnage-based grace periods.
• As of now, products containing hazardous chemical substance should be notified. The revised Act states that products containing substance of risk concerns like carcinogenic or mutagenic properties should be notified when the substance is contained more than 0.1% in product.
• Substance subject to authorization should not be manufactured, imported, used or sold unless its use is authorized, but except the uses that are exempted from the use authorization.
• Penalty provisions are newly made for persons who manufacture, import, use or sell restricted substance for prohibited use.
• Sellers of hazardous chemical substance should provide hazard information to the person who purchases the hazardous substance regardless of its registration or content in product
• Reference: MoE Notice No. 2016-869 (in Korean)