South Korea’s National Assembly approved on April 13, 2021 the amendments of the Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals (K-REACH) as Law No. 18034. The amendments mainly relate to tightening the supervision on downstream users and sellers of chemical substances that have not been registered or notified or have not obtained confirmation for registration exemptions (hereinafter referred to as "unregistered substances").
The Revised Article 13 of K-REACH stipulates that the Minister of Environment can order not only manufacturers and importers, but also downstream users and sellers to stop handling unregistered substances, recall them or take other necessary measures prescribed by K-REACH Enforcement Decree. In addition, Article 51 added a provision that the downstream users or sellers of unregistered substances will be punished by imprisonment for not more than 3 years or a fine not exceeding 50 million won.
The new requirements will come into force on October 14, 2021. Stakeholders should be well prepared and improve risk management in downstream links in the supply chain.
