On May 26, 2025, the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) of South Korea issued Notice No. 2025-8, amending the Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances (originally announced as Notice No. 2025-5 on February 18, 2025) under the Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Act (K-REACH) and its enforcement rules. The amendments take effect immediately upon publication.

Under K-REACH, polymers meeting PLC criteria may qualify for registration exemptions by submitting GPC reports.

On February 5, 2025, the South Korean National Assembly officially launched the legislative revision process for the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH), aiming to resolve disputes in the joint submission system for chemical substances and fill legal gaps in the replacement procedures for foreign manufacturers’ designated Only Representatives (OR). The revision, undergoing parliamentary review from February 7 to 21, 2025, marks a critical step in enhancing South Korea’s chemical management framework.

After completing K-REACH registration, registrants must fulfill post-registration obligations, including the transmission of chemical substance safety information in the supply chain.

On February 27, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) jointly announced at a press conference that a compliance grace period program under the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH) will take effect starting February 28. The policy aims to provide companies that have failed to fulfill chemical management obligations with a rectification window, allowing them to avoid criminal and financial penalties through voluntary reporting.

On February 18, 2025, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) announced the revision of hazard assessment results for 236 chemical substances under the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) and its enforcement rules. The update, formalized through Notice No. 2025-5, aims to strengthen chemical safety management and enhance public health protections.

On February 6, 2024, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea issued Order No. 20232, which includes revisions to certain parts of the K-REACH regulations.The notification threshold for the production/import volume of new substances has been increased from 0.1 tonnes per year to 1 tonne per year.

The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea recently issued Announcement No. 56 of 2024, under the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances. This new regulation, titled Regulations on the Preparation and Provision of Hazard Information for Chemical Substances, mandates that all enterprises submit detailed supply chain information along with risk and hazard data for chemicals under the K-REACH framework.

On September 26, 2024, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea issued the Notice No. 2024-612, announcing significant amendments to the designations of restricted and prohibited substances. The revisions aim to update the usage limits of certain chemicals based on the hazard assessment results under the Chemicals Registration and Evaluation Act, as well as considering related international regulations.

On September 4, 2024, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea issued Notification No. 2024-571, officially announcing a comprehensive revision of the types of persistent pollutants and specific exemption regulations. This revision aims to update and detail the specific chemical names and their CAS numbers of persistent pollutants as defined in the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Control Act. The revisions also include clarifications on specific exemptions and their expiration dates to ensure environmental protection and public health. Public comments are being solicited from today until September 23, 2024.