South Korea Regulatory News

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, along with the National Fire Agency, has successfully unified the information on 565 of the 4,091 overlapping chemicals in their respective chemical information s...

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, along with the National Fire Agency, has successfully unified the information on 565 of the 4,091 overlapping chemicals in their respective chemical information systems, ensuring consistency in GHS (Globally Harmonized System) information. 

What is GHS?  GHS is an internationally standardized system for classifying and labeling chemical substances, providing crucial safety information. 

Background  The Ministry's Material Safety Data Sheet System and the National Fire Agency's National Integrated Dangerous Goods Information System previously provided information on 20,555 and 7,364 chemical substances, respectively. However, discrepancies in the information for the same chemicals led to user confusion. 

Collaboration and Completion  In collaboration with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) and the Korea Fire Institute (KFI), the unification of chemical information was completed by 2024. This includes matching GHS details such as pictograms, signal words, hazard phrases, and precautionary statements. 

Benefits 

• Public Safety: Ensures the public receives consistent and accurate information about chemical products. 

• Industry Clarity: Reduces confusion in the import, export, and handling of chemicals. 

• Government Response: Enhances the government's ability to respond swiftly and accurately to chemical accidents. 

On 2 January 2025, the Korean Cosmetic Association (KCA) announced that customized cosmetics must be reported before 28 February 2025.    Reporting of customized cosmetics material  The KC...

On 2 January 2025, the Korean Cosmetic Association (KCA) announced that customized cosmetics must be reported before 28 February 2025. 

Reporting of customized cosmetics material 

The KCA has issued a reminder of the annual reporting obligations for personalized cosmetics outlined in Article 5, Paragraph 6 of the Cosmetics Act, and Article 13 of its Enforcement Regulations.  

The Regulations on Reporting Import Performance and Ingredient List require companies to report a list of ingredients used in customized cosmetics sold in the previous year by the end of February each year.  

Companies must report the raw components used in their personalized cosmetics by 28 February 2025. The KCA recommends that companies follow the appropriate standards and submit their reports via the association's raw material list reporting system by the deadline.  

How to report

Companies can apply to report raw materials in cosmetics on the KCA website (www.kcia.or.kr) by submitting the raw material list at the end.  

Key Guidelines for Submission 

The KCA has issued specific instructions for companies submitting ingredient lists for personalized cosmetics, highlighting the need for standardized methods and timely reporting. These include: 

• Standardized Ingredient Names. 

• When filling out the "Ingredient Name" form, companies must use normal Korean names for their ingredients. 

• For combined materials, the constituent components must be identified. 

• The KCA's online cosmetic ingredient dictionary is provided as a source of standardized nomenclature. 

Marking Products for Export 

• Products intended for export should be labelled "EXP" in the "usage purpose" section. 

• If the product is not intended for export, leave this column blank. 

Product Name or Category Reporting Options 

• Companies can report components using individual product names or categories.  

• Customized cosmetics with identical ingredients may be grouped into one category, avoiding the need for recurrent reporting. 

Failure to meet this criterion may result in penalties or disruptions to business operations. Companies should move quickly to ensure correct and timely submissions.  

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) has updated the "Measures to Deal with Explosion and Fire" for 90 types of water-reactive substances. These updates, which came into effect on D...

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) has updated the "Measures to Deal with Explosion and Fire" for 90 types of water-reactive substances. These updates, which came into effect on December 23, 2024, are now available on the Chemical Information Site.  

Key Points: 

• Importance of Correct Fire Extinguishing Methods: Using the wrong methods to extinguish fires involving water-reactive substances can lead to greater damage. 

• Workplace Preparedness: Workplaces must update their Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to reflect these revisions and ensure that workers receive appropriate MSDS training. 

For more information, click here. 

Since January 1, 2025, South Korea has been enforcing updated registration standards for new chemical substances under K-REACH. This update aligns with National Policy Task 68 (Safe Food, Healthy Livi...

Since January 1, 2025, South Korea has been enforcing updated registration standards for new chemical substances under K-REACH. This update aligns with National Policy Task 68 (Safe Food, Healthy Living Environment), which focuses on differentiated management based on the risk level and quantity of hazardous chemicals. 

Key Changes: 

• Registration Threshold: The threshold for manufacturing and importing these substances will increase from 0.1 to 1 tonne per year. 

• Hazard Categorization: The current definition of 'toxic substance' will be removed. Instead, substances will be categorized according to their hazardous characteristics, leading to a risk-based management system. Categories include: 

         - Acutely hazardous substances for humans 

         - Chronically hazardous substances for humans 

         - Substances harmful to ecology 

• Safety Enhancements:  

         - Expand disclosure of information on registered and reported chemical substances. 

         - Strengthen the reporting system. 

These changes aim to reduce the registration burden on companies while enhancing public safety and transparency. 

Policy Overview Highlights: 

• Revised registration standards for new chemical substances (from 0.1 tonne to 1 tonne per year). 

• New procedures for disclosure, reporting data adjustment, and adequacy review. 

• Defined management principles for substances with unidentified hazards. 

Effective Dates: 

January 1, 2025, and August 7, 2025. 

On January 8, 2025, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a proposed amendment to food labelling standards. The purpose of the amendme...

On January 8, 2025, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a proposed amendment to food labelling standards. The purpose of the amendment is to better inform consumers to promote public health and to enhance the consumer information and labelling system to protect human health and safety.   

Key Content 

1. Permit the use of labelling stickers in Korean language on food products intended for export. If the products are cancelled for export and not for sale (such as for donation or promotional use), they can simply be re-labelled with stickers in Korean language on top of the original labelling in the foreign language. 

2. Reflecting the amendments of the “Enforcement Rule of the Act on Labelling and Advertising of Foods” in the labelling standards and correcting some words in the standards. 

3. Incorporated the amendments of “Standards and Specifications of Food” and “Standards and Specification of Food Additives” into the labelling standards and overhauling the related regulations: Certain terms and categories will be revised to reduce confusion, including the names of various categories of dried seaweed. 

4. Provide a template for nutrition facts labelling of food products which consist of both processed food and natural products.  

Submission of Comments 

Individuals and organizations are invited to submit a written comment by February 28, 2025.  The date of adoption and entry into force are yet to be determined. 

The Korean Ministry of Environment has announced that the safety information for raw materials in 76 household chemical products will be made available on the Green Nuri Living Environment Safety Info...

The Korean Ministry of Environment has announced that the safety information for raw materials in 76 household chemical products will be made available on the Green Nuri Living Environment Safety Information System (https://ecolife.me.go.kr/ecolife/systemInfo ) starting December 12, 2024. This initiative aims to help consumers easily verify the safety of products through an intuitive leaf grading system. 

Key Highlights: 

• Leaf Grading System: The safety of each product is indicated by the number of leaves, ranging from one to four. Four leaves signify no safety concerns, while one leaf indicates that safer alternatives are recommended. 

• Voluntary Participation: Fifteen companies have voluntarily disclosed safety information for ingredients in 11 categories, including detergents and laundry detergents, covering a total of 76 products. 

• Safety Grades: None of the disclosed products received the lowest grade, which recommends substitution with safer ingredients. The majority of products fell into the three-leaf category, representing 55.8% of the total. 

• Consumer Trust: Park Yeon-jae, Director of the Environmental Health Bureau, emphasized that this transparency will help consumers easily understand safety information and build trust in the companies involved. 

Looking ahead, the Ministry plans to launch a next-generation chemical product management system in the first half of 2025, which will provide even more detailed safety information to ensure consumer safety. 

On September 26, 2024, the Ministry of Environment announced a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Waste Management Act. This amendment aims to enhance waste management practices and al...

On September 26, 2024, the Ministry of Environment announced a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Waste Management Act. This amendment aims to enhance waste management practices and align regulations with current standards.

Key changes include: 

1. Return of Follow-up Management Performance Deposits: Adjusting the interest rate for returning deposits to match the average rate of one-year term deposits at commercial banks. 

2. Updated Definition of Waste Toxic Substances: Aligning with the revised Chemicals Control Act to better classify toxic substances. 

3. Clarification of Medical Waste Categories: Including human secretions such as bodily fluids, secretions, and sputum (excluding blood) as medical waste. 

4. Enhancement of Recycling Facilities: Upgrading classification facilities to enforcement ordinances specifying types of waste treatment facilities. 

5. Standardization of Expiration Dates for Waste Disposal Business Conformity: Distributing expiration dates of conformity confirmations evenly over five years. 

Detailed Amendments 

1. Return of Follow-up Management Performance Deposits (Article 31): 

• The return rate will be adjusted to reflect the average interest rate of one-year term deposits at commercial banks. 

2. Classification of Toxic Substances (Annex 1): 

• Toxic substances will be categorized as acute, chronic, or ecological hazards under the Chemicals Control Act. 

• Additional categories include restricted, permitted, prohibited, and accident-preparedness substances. 

3. Medical Waste Definition (Annex 2): 

• Human secretions such as bodily fluids, secretions, and sputum (excluding blood) will be classified as general medical waste. 

4. Recycling Facilities (Annex 3): 

• Classification facilities will be upgraded to enforcement ordinances specifying types of waste treatment facilities. 

5. Conformity Confirmation Expiration Dates (Schedule 5): 

• The initial expiration date for existing processors licensed until 2023 will be evenly distributed over five years. 

• The validity period will start in the month's first quarter following the approval date. 

The  public consultation ended on November 6, 2024.