Korean REACH: The Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH)

On 01 January 2015, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) revised its laws with respect to “new” chemical notifications. In this revision, the former Toxic Chemical Control Act (TCCA) was divided and recast into the following:

• The Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH; also known as ARECS); and 
• The Chemicals Control Act (CCA).

K-REACH, which was promulgated on 22 May 2013 by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea, regulates the designation of hazardous chemical substances through registration and evaluation. The CCA regulates the control and follow-up management of hazardous chemicals designated by K-REACH and Substances Requiring Preparation for Accident designated by Article 39 of the CCA.

Based on the results of a hazard and risk assessment, chemicals can be placed into one of four categories: toxic substance, authorization substance, restricted substance, or prohibited substance. The chemicals will then be subject to further regulations as applicable.

The MoE is responsible for the registration and evaluation of chemicals (substances/polymers) under K-REACH. MoE is supported by:

• The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER)
  Responsible for registrations, reduced/increased registrations, amendments to registrations, and registration enquiries. 
• The Korea Environment Corporation (KECO)
  Responsible for applications for pre-registration and confirmation of exemptions from registration. 
• The Ministry of Environment and Labor (MoEL)
  Responsible for the associated South Korea Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the regulation of chemicals in the workplace (e.g., United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals [UN GHS] implementation).

An amendment to K-REACH, which was implemented on 01 January 2019, introduced changes within the regulation, including the need for pre-registration of existing substances. This pre-registration was required to be completed by 30 June 2019. Going forward, companies must:

• Check if their products are within the scope of K-REACH 
  • Pre-registration of substances; 
  • Tonnage band registration; 
  • Simplified registration; and 
  • Exemptions from registration or Confirmation of Exemption from registration.Identity their obligations under K-REACH, including: 

We’re here to help!

Intertek is the single-source solution for compliance with the registration, testing, and documentation requirements of K-REACH.

Intertek offers the following chemical registration–related services to the producers, suppliers, and users of industrial, commercial, and consumer chemicals:

• Development of registration strategies 
• Pre- and post-registration consultations 
• Classification of substances 
• Design, implementation, and stewardship of testing programs 
• K-REACH Only Representative
• Preparation and submission of notification/registration dossiers in Korean

Related Services

Pre-Registration for K-REACH
South Korea OSHA / ISHA Amendment Obligations