South Korea Proposes the Draft Amendment of the Regulations on Classification and Labelling of Chemical Substances
- Jun 17
- 5 min read
On 21 May 2026, South Korea's National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) published Notification No. 2026-9, proposing partial amendments to the Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances.
Key Revisions
1. Establishment of 79 New Chemical Substance Entries
NICS established 79 new chemical substance entries under unique numbers 2026-1 to 2026-79 following the completion of hazard assessments. These substances include:
New chemical substances registered between August and December 2024; and
Chemical substances for which additional hazard data were secured during the same period through mechanisms such as amended registrations.
2. Amendments to 66 Existing Chemical Substance Entries
A total of 66 chemical substance entries were revised to reflect newly obtained hazard information. Among these:
34 new chemical substance entries listed under Annex 1 (New Chemical Substances) were amended based on additional information obtained through amended registrations and other data submissions.
32 existing chemical substance entries were revised under Annex 2 (Existing Chemical Substances).
The amendments to existing chemical substances include:
revision of 13 substances in accordance with additional information secured through subsequent registrations under Annex 2;
allocation of new unique numbers for 18 substances following their designation as substances hazardous to humans; and
amendment of Unique Number 2025-578, where the classification for "Serious Eye Damage/Eye Irritation" was revised from Category 3.4 to Category 3.3.
Reassignment of Unique Numbers for Substances Hazardous to Humans
As part of the amendments, 18 substances previously identified as "scheduled for designation" have been assigned new unique numbers following their designation as substances hazardous to humans. The affected substances have been renumbered from existing unique numbers issued between 2022 and 2024 to new unique numbers 2026-1-1337 through 2026-1-1354.
Unique number | Unique number of hazardous substances to the human body | |
| Current ( ~ ) | Revision (~ as ) |
2022-217 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1354 |
2023-409 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1337 |
2023-410 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1338 |
2023-412 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1339 |
2023-421 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1340 |
2023-423 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1341 |
2023-424 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1342 |
2023-425 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1343 |
2023-430 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1344 |
2023-437 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1345 |
2024-444 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1346 |
2024-451 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1347 |
2024-459 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1348 |
2024-460 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1349 |
2024-462 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1350 |
2024-473 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1351 |
2024-479 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1352 |
2024-541 | ( Scheduled for designation ) | 2026-1-1353 |
Related Public Consultations
Based on the revised hazard assessment results, NICS subsequently launched two public consultations:
Notice on (Draft) Partial Amendment to the “Notice on Designation of Acutely Hazardous Substances, Chronically Hazardous Substances, and Ecologically Hazardous Substances” (Public Notice No. 2026-62)
Notice on (Draft) Partial Amendment to the "Regulations on Classification and Labelling, etc. of Chemical Substances" (Public Notice No. 2026-61)
Public Notice No. 2026-62
(Draft) Partial Amendment to the Notice on Designation of Acutely Hazardous Substances, Chronically Hazardous Substances, and Ecologically Hazardous Substances
Following hazard assessments conducted on substances registered pursuant to Article 18 of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances (K-REACH), NICS proposes to designate 38 additional substances hazardous to humans, establishing new unique numbers 2026-1-1355 through 2026-1-1392 in accordance with the designation criteria set out in Table 1 of the Enforcement Decree of K-REACH.
Public Notice No. 2026-61
Draft Partial Amendment to the Regulations on Classification and Labelling of Chemical Substances
The draft amendment proposes the following revisions to Table 4, Item A concerning Acutely Hazardous Substances to Humans, Chronically Hazardous Substances to Humans, and Ecologically Hazardous Substances:
Establishment of 38 newly designated substances hazardous to humans under unique numbers 2026-1-1355 to 2026-1-1392;
Note: Unofficial English translation for reference purposes only. In the event of any discrepancy, the original language version shall prevail. Copyright © 2026 Ng Sok-Han. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder.
Revision of chemical names and hazard classifications for nine substances;
Addition of substances under the chemical name column for unique number 97-1-9;
Correction of chemical names under unique numbers 97-1-90 and 97-1-140;
Revision of the hazard classification for unique number 97-1-144;
Addition of CAS Number information for unique number 97-1-399;
Addition of hazard classifications, labelling information, and M-coefficients for unique numbers 2021-1-1068 and 2021-1-1077; and
Correction of UN Numbers for unique numbers 2010-1-609 and 2024-1-1222.
Key timeLines
Public Notice No. 2026-61
The proposed amendment is expected to enter into force on the date of promulgation.
Entities required to label hazardous chemical substances under the Chemical Substances Control Act (CSCA) must ensure compliance with the revised labelling requirements by 1 July 2027.
Public Notice No. 2026-61
Upon promulgation, affected stakeholders will be required to implement the following measures according to the proposed transitional deadlines:
Compliance Requirements under the CSCA | Deadline |
Identification of affected chemical substances (Article 9) | 1 July 2027 |
Labelling of hazardous chemical substances (Article 16) | 1 July 2027 |
Import declaration of substances hazardous to humans (Article 20) | 1 July 2027 |
Completion of seller notification requirements (Article 29-2) | 1 July 2027 |
Compliance with handling standards for hazardous chemical substances (Article 13 and Annex 1) | 1 January 2028 |
Preparation and submission of a Chemical Accident Prevention and Management Plan (Article 23) | 1 January 2029 |
Business permit notifications and hazardous chemical substance notifications (Article 28) | 1 January 2029 |
Compliance with facility installation and management standards for hazardous chemical substance handling facilities (Article 24 and Annex 5) | 1 January 2031 |
Why It Matters
While the proposed amendments primarily focus on updating hazard assessment results and hazardous substance designations, the resulting compliance obligations may have far-reaching implications across supply chains. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and downstream users should proactively assess whether affected substances are present in their products, operations, or facilities and develop implementation plans well ahead of the proposed deadlines.
Comments period
Individuals, institutions, and organizations (associations) with opinions regarding these proposed amendments to the Public Notices may submit a written opinion containing the following information to the Director of the Chemical Substances Safety Center (Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Team, Tel: 032-560-8667, Fax: 032-568-2038) by July 2, 2026:
a. Itemized opinions on the matters under advance notice (whether revisions are required and the reasons therefor)
b. Name (in the case of an organization, the name of the organization and its representative), address, and telephone number
Related articles:
Notice on (Draft) Partial Amendment to the “Notice on Designation of Acutely Hazardous Substances, Chronically Hazardous Substances, and Ecologically Hazardous Substances” (Public Notice No. 2026-62)
(Draft) Partial Amendment to the “Notice on Designation of Acutely Hazardous Substances, Chronically Hazardous Substances, and Ecologically Hazardous Substances” (Public Notice No. 2026-62)
Notice on (Draft) Partial Amendment to the "Regulations on Classification and Labelling, etc. of Chemical Substances" (Public Notice No. 2026-61)
Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances (No. 2026-9)
Comments