K-REACH: New Substances below 1 t/y Only Require for Notification, Starting from 2025

South Korea’s National Assembly is currently having an internal discussion regarding the amendments to K-REACH, aiming at updating the critical tonnage band for new chemical registration from 0.1 t/y to 1 t/y. If adopted, it is expected to be in force on January 1, 2025. The official circular will be issued in the coming future.

K-REACH	Current	Commence on 1 Jan 2025
New Chemical Notification	＜0.1 ty	＜1 t/y
New Chemical Registration	≥ 0.1 t/y	≥1 t/y

Although the authority has not announced the detailed requirements for notification of new substances manufactured or imported at a volume of 0.1 t/y ~ 1 t/y, this is undoubtedly good news for enterprises. As per the current K-REACH, for new chemicals within 0.1 t/y ~ 1 t/y, information required for data submission includes:

Physicochemical properties	Physical state Water solubility Melting/freezing point Boiling point Vapor pressure
Human health hazards	Acute oral toxicity (or inhalation) Ames test data
Environmental hazards	Acute toxicity in fish or daphnia Ready biodegradability

Background

In most countries and regions that implement REACH-like regulations for chemical registration, registration obligations apply to new substances manufactured or imported in quantity of 1 t/y or more. As for new substances less than 1 t/y, notification applies. To improve the registration efficiency of new chemical registration under K-REACH and reduce compliance burden, as well as optimize the preparation and transmission of hazard information to be aligned with EU standards, the Korean authority intends to adopt the same critical tonnage band (1 t/y).