Recently, the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) of the Republic of Korea issued Notice No. 2026-9. Pursuant to Article 21 of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Article 28 of its Enforcement Rule, the Institute has amended and officially announced the Results of Hazard Review of Chemical Substances (NICS Notice No. 2026-3, dated March 10, 2026). This amendment came into effect on May 21, 2026.
Details of the Amendment are as follows:
Annex No. 1 (New Chemical Substances): 34 items revised, 79 items added
- This amendment revises the hazard information for 34 new chemical substances with unique numbers such as “2015-26”, “2016-164”, “2018-444”, “2019-477”, and “2017-625”.
- In addition, following the entry for unique number “2025-88”, 79 new entries numbered “2026-1” through “2026-79” have been added. For each substance, the following information is disclosed: unique number, chemical substance name (including CAS number), whether it is classified as a substance harmful to humans, etc., classification and labelling, other information necessary for safety management, physicochemical properties, and hazard information.
Annex No. 2 (Existing Chemical Substances): Multiple revisions and changes to hazard unique numbers
- This amendment revises the hazard information for 13 existing chemical substances with unique numbers such as “2021-135”, “2021-145”, “2021-167”, and “2022-205”.
- Furthermore, in the entry for unique number “2025-578”, the classification and labelling under “Serious eye damage/eye irritation (3.4)” has been corrected to “Serious eye damage/eye irritation (3.3)”.
- Notably, this amendment formally designates the “unique number for substances harmful to humans, etc.” for 18 existing chemical substances as follows:
|
Unique Number |
Unique Number for Substances Harmful to Humans, etc. |
|
|
Current |
Revised to |
|
|
2022-217 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1354 |
|
2023-409 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1337 |
|
2023-410 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1338 |
|
2023-412 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1339 |
|
2023-421 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1340 |
|
2023-423 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1341 |
|
2023-424 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1342 |
|
2023-425 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1343 |
|
2023-430 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1344 |
|
2023-437 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1345 |
|
2024-444 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1346 |
|
2024-451 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1347 |
|
2024-459 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1348 |
|
2024-460 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1349 |
|
2024-462 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1350 |
|
2024-473 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1351 |
|
2024-479 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1352 |
|
2024-541 |
Designation pending |
2026-1-1353 |
This amendment further refines Korea’s management of hazards associated with both new and existing chemical substances. In particular, the formal designation of unique numbers for substances harmful to humans, etc., will help improve the efficiency of safety supervision of chemical substances. Relevant enterprises should promptly pay attention to the updated hazard information to ensure that their production, import, and use activities comply with the requirements of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances, thereby mitigating compliance risks.
