On August 7, 2025, the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) under the South Korean Ministry of Environment officially announced Notice No. 2025-19. In accordance with the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH) and its enforcement regulations, this notice changes the name of the Notice on Designation of Toxic Substances (NICS Notice No. 2025-2, dated January 24, 2025) to the Notice on Designation of Acute Hazardous Substances to Human Health, Chronic Hazardous Substances to Human Health, and Ecological Hazardous Substances, and updates the classification list of hazardous substances.
Key Changes
- Substances listed under unique numbers "97-1-1" to "2025-1-1248" in the original appendix have been reclassified into acute hazardous substances to human health, chronic hazardous substances to human health, and ecological hazardous substances, with content thresholds assigned based on hazard. Substances not meeting the designation criteria were removed.
- Based on hazard assessment results for new and existing chemical substances, substances meeting the designation criteria for human/ecological hazards were newly added under unique numbers 2025-1-1249 to 2025-1-1263 in the appendix.
- For banned substances and emergency substances, based on their hazard assessment results, substances meeting the designation criteria for human/ecological hazards were newly added under unique numbers 2025-1-1264 to 2025-1-1280 in the appendix.
Substances hazardous to humans, etc. (including hydrates) that meet the designation criteria are listed in the appendix (see the website provided at the end for details). Furthermore, mixtures consisting solely of substances hazardous to humans, etc., listed in the appendix, are also considered substances hazardous to humans, etc. If the content in a mixture exceeds the designated threshold level, it falls under the categories of acute hazardous substances to human health, chronic hazardous substances to human health, and ecological hazardous substances, respectively.
Phased Implementation
- This notice takes effect from August 7, 2025.
- For substances newly designated as acute hazardous substances to human health, chronic hazardous substances to human health, and ecological hazardous substances under this notice, if the content threshold standard for each hazardous substance is lower than the previous content threshold standard for toxic substance designation, the new standards for these substances hazardous to humans, etc., will be implemented from January 1, 2026.
- For mixtures containing benzene at concentrations between 0.1% and 1.0%, implementation will begin on January 1, 2028.
Transitional Measures
- Designation of Existing Substances
Substances previously designated under the original Notice on Designation of Toxic Substances are automatically considered designated as substances hazardous to humans, etc., under this notice.
- Information Updates
If the provided chemical safety information changes after the implementation of this notice, updated information must be provided by July 1, 2026.
- Phased Compliance Obligations
For substances newly designated as hazardous to humans, etc., under this notice (including cases where the content threshold standard is lowered compared to the previous toxic substance standard), persons handling these substances before January 1, 2026, must complete the following by the specified deadlines:
To be completed by July 1, 2026:
- Chemical Substance Verification (according to Article 9 of the Chemicals Control Act (CCA))
- Hazardous Chemical Substance Labeling (according to Article 16 of the CCA)
- Import Declaration for Substances Hazardous to Humans, etc. (according to Article 20 of the CCA)
To be implemented from January 1, 2027:
- Handling Standards for Hazardous Chemical Substances (according to Article 13 of the CCA and Appendix 1 of its Enforcement Rules)
To be completed by January 1, 2028:
- Preparation and Submission of Chemical Accident Prevention and Management Plans (according to Article 23 of the CCA)
- Completion of Business Permits and Business Notifications for Hazardous Chemical Substances (according to Article 28 of the CCA)
To be complied with by January 1, 2030:
- Installation and Management Standards for Hazardous Chemical Substance Handling Facilities (according to Article 24 of the CCA and Appendix 5 of its Enforcement Rules)
- Validity of Previous Declarations
For substances previously designated as toxic substances under the original Notice on Designation of Toxic Substances before this notice's implementation, if chemical substance verification had been submitted and import declarations for toxic substances had been made, they will be automatically considered as having submitted verification and import declarations for substances hazardous to humans, etc., after this notice takes effect.
Through this revision, South Korea aims to strengthen the safety management of chemical substances, protect public health and environmental safety, while ensuring relevant businesses are promptly informed and can adapt to these new regulatory requirements.
