On February 23, 2021, South Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) updated the list of biocidal active substances subject to simplified approval under the Act on Safety Management of Household Chemical Products and Biocidal Products (K-BPR). The number of substances increases from 115 to 130.
Prior approval for biocidal active substances and biocidal products is mandatory under K-BPR. To date, the list of existing biocidal active substances comprises 746 substances which are granted with corresponding grace period for obtaining approval.
Simplified approval applies to biocidal active substances that have been previously approved under the EU BPR or US FIFRA, and are included in the first group of biocidal active substances (disinfectants, algicides, repellents, rodenticides and insecticides). Domestic manufacturers, importers or the only representative (OR) designated by overseas manufacturers are allowed to submit a reduced data set for approval of the 130 substances before December 31, 2022. The items that can be exempted from data submission are planned to be announced by MoE in June 2021. It should be noted that 13 of these substances may be restricted or not be approved due to high risks.
In addition to adding 15 substances applicable for simplified approval, the authority issued the details of 27 applications rejected, including:
5 substances due to absence of international evaluation report;
19 substances due to withdrawal or absence of plan reports for approval; and
3 substances for not approved for several use types in EU
