The Korea Environment Corporation (KECO) announced the initiation of its 2025 Existing Chemical Substances Full-support Program, designed to provide comprehensive assistance for joint registrations of Phase 3 (annual production 10-100 tons) chemical substances.

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.

The Ministry of Environment (MOE) in South Korea announced proposed revisions to the Enforcement Regulations of the Chemical Substances Control Act (K-CCA) and is now seeking public feedback. Stakeholders, including institutions, organizations, and individuals, may submit comments through the Integrated Legislation Notice Center (http://opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) by March 25, 2025.

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.

Recently, South Korea's Ministry of Environment announced the approval of 15 biocidal products closely related to daily life, under the Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act (K-BPR). These products include disinfectants, algicides, rodenticides, insecticides, and repellents.

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 Ministry of Environment of South Korea recently submitted a notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the revision of the Designation of Restricted Substances and Prohibited Substances. This revision aims to strengthen the restrictions on the use of lead and its compounds as well as methylene chloride and its mixtures, based on the hazard assessment under the Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Act and international regulatory trends, to protect human health and safety. WTO member countries can comment on this revision before January 13, 2025.

The Global Chemical Inventory Search (GCIS) developed by CIRS Group supports users in searching the latest updates to global chemical inventories by entering a CAS number or substance name in Chinese or English. It also provides obligation analysis for global chemical compliance. CIRS continuously monitors changes to global chemical inventories and regularly updates ChemRadar, to try and help users understand more about the compliance obligations of their substances.

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.

The Global Chemical Inventory Search (GCIS) developed by CIRS Group supports users to search the latest inventory of chemicals globally by entering CAS number or substance name in both Chinese and English. It also provides obligation analysis for global chemical compliance. CIRS continuously monitors and updates to global chemical inventories regularly, trying to help users to know more details of compliance obligations of their substances.