1. Introduction

On June 4, 2013, the Korea Ministry of Environment (MoE) published the Chemical Substances Control Act (CCA). Article 16 of the CCA lists the requirements for the labeling of hazardous chemical substances. The purpose of this Act is to prevent risks posed by chemical substances to people's health and the environment, and to protect the lives and property of the people from chemical substances by properly controlling them and promptly responding to accidents caused by these substances. Its predecessor was the Toxic Chemicals Control Act (TCCA), issued by the MoE on February 2, 1991. On January 1, 2015, the TCCA was split into the CCA and the K-REACH (Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances) regulations. The latest revision was made on February 6, 2024.

On January 15, 2019, the Korea Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) published the Occupational Safety and Health Act (K-OSHA). The purpose of this Act is to maintain and promote the safety and health of persons who provide labor by preventing industrial accidents through establishing standards on industrial safety and health, clarifying responsibilities, and creating a comfortable working environment. Its predecessor was the Occupational Safety and Health Act promulgated in 1993. The latest revision was made on August 17, 2021.

The TCCA covers new chemicals, toxic chemicals, observational chemicals, and restricted or banned chemicals. Other chemicals are not regulated by the TCCA. Companies can visit the website of NIER (https://kreach.me.go.kr/repwrt/index.do), search for the classified category of chemicals, and check if they are toxic chemicals. The classification is mandatory under the CCA, and companies must take appropriate actions to comply.

On February 15, 2023, the latest GHS regulations, titled "Classification, Identification, and MSDS Related Standards for Chemical Substances" (MoEL Notice No. 2023-9), were published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL). The main revision includes a more scientific explanation of "manufacturing" and clarifies the obligations resulting from the updated definition. These regulations came into effect on the date of their promulgation. The previous version of this regulation, MoEL Notice No. 2020-130, was published in 2020 and is largely consistent with the UN GHS Rev. 4, which came into effect on January 16, 2021.

On June 27, 2008, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) issued Notice No. 2008-29, setting compliance deadlines as follows:

• Substances: June 30, 2010
• Mixtures: June 30, 2013

On July 8, 2008, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea issued Notice No. 2008-26, with compliance deadlines as follows:

• Substances: June 30, 2011
• Mixtures: June 30, 2013

2. Classification Information

Physical hazards:

Health hazards:

Environmental hazards: 

3. KOSHA and MSDS Submission

K-OSHA Article 110 stipulates that chemical manufacturers or importers are also required to submit MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), and the supplier information must include importer information. If a foreign supplier delegates the submission of MSDS to an importer within South Korea, importer information must be provided; if the MSDS is submitted by an OR (Only Representative), the supplier information must include the OR's information.

For more information, please check the guidance of KOSHA and MSDS.

4. GHS Labelling Requirements

(a) Product identifier (consistent with SDS);

(b) Signal word;

(c) Pictograms, if both the skull and crossbones and the exclamation mark symbols are used, only the skull and crossbones symbol needs to be displayed. If both the corrosive symbol and the exclamation mark symbol indicating skin or eye irritation are used, only the corrosive symbol needs to be displayed. If both the exclamation mark symbol indicating skin or eye irritation and the health hazard symbol for respiratory sensitizers are used, only the health hazard symbol needs to be displayed. When there are 5 or more pictograms, only 4 need to be retained. Pictogram symbols should be black with a red border and a white background. If the background and border are difficult to distinguish, contrasting colors may be used. For small capacity packaging less than 1L and when the packaging surface has two or fewer colors, the main color of the container or packaging (except black) may be used as the background color for the pictograms.

(d) Hazard statements (can be omitted for packaging ≤100ml/g), repetitive or similar statements may be omitted or combined;

(e) Supplier information, must include information of a business within Korea;

(f) Precautionary statements (can be omitted for packaging ≤100ml/g), repetitive or similar statements may be omitted or combined. When there are 7 or more precautionary statements, including at least one under each of the subheadings: prevention, response, safe storage, and disposal (except where no relevant phrases exist), only 6 need to be retained. Statements not written should note “Refer to SDS” on the label.

(g) The label should generally use a white background with black text and borders. When it is not possible to have a white background (such as plastic bags), an appropriate background color based on the packaging or container surface should be used. However, when the background color is close to black, the text and border colors must be marked in contrasting colors.

Label Size Requirements

Each hazard pictogram shall cover at least one fifteenth of the minimum surface area of the label. The minimum area of each hazard pictogram shall not be less than 0.5 cm² .

5. SDS Requirements

Suppliers must provide recipients with the latest SDS for chemicals. When the content of CBI (Confidential Business Information) substances is less than 1%, or the content of non-CBI substances meets the threshold levels shown in the table below (expressed as minimum values), they may be omitted from Section 3 of the SDS. Otherwise, the SDS document must be provided. In terms of language, the SDS must be prepared in Korean, although proper nouns such as chemical names and names of foreign institutions may be marked in English. If the reagents are for R&D purposes and the SDS is in a foreign language, it does not need to be translated into Korean.

Cut-off values for health and environmental hazard classes

The SDS shall be presented using the following headings in the order given below:

• Section 1: Identification of the hazardous chemical and of the supplier;
• Section 2: Hazard identification;
• Section 3: Composition and information of the ingredients of the hazardous chemical;
• Section 4: First-aid measures;
• Section 5: Fire-fighting measures;
• Section 6: Accidental release measures;
• Section 7: Handling and storage;
• Section 8: Exposure controls and personal protection;
• Section 9: Physical and chemical properties;
• Section 10: Stability and reactivity;
• Section 11: Toxicological information;
• Section 12: Ecological information;
• Section 13: Disposal information;
• Section 14: Transportation information;
• Section 15: Regulatory information;
• Section 16: Other information.

6. Petroleum Substances

Unlike the flammable liquid management requirements of the United Nations GHS, South Korea has specific regulations regarding the storage and transportation of petroleum substances within its territory. It is usually necessary to include this determination in Section 15 of the SDS. Article 5 of Chapter 1 of the South Korean "Act on the Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals" (referred to as the Hazardous Chemicals Management Act) outlines the restrictions on the storage and handling of hazardous goods in quantities above designated levels. The "Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Safe Management of Hazardous Goods" specifies the classification details for petroleum substances in Korea. This Decree is a regulation under the Hazardous Chemicals Management Act. Similar to Japan's "Fire Service Act," the classification of petroleum substances in Korea includes: Class 1 Oxidizing Solids, Class 2 Combustible Solids, Class 3 Spontaneously combustible substances and water-reactive substances, Class 4 Inflammable liquids, Class 5 Self-reactive Substances, and Class 6 Oxidizing Liquids.

The most notable category here is Class 4 Flammable Liquids, which includes 3 Petroleum, 4 Petroleum, and animal and plant oils, defined as liquids at 1 atmosphere of pressure and 20°C. This does not include flammable liquids covered under other regulations, which refer to the "Cosmetics Act," "Pharmaceutical Affairs Act," "Medical Devices Act," and "Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act." 1 Petroleum refers to products like acetone and gasoline with a flash point <21°C at 1 atmosphere of pressure. 2 Petroleum includes products like kerosene and diesel with a flash point between 21°C and <70°C at 1 atmosphere of pressure, excluding paints with a flammable liquid content below 40%, a flash point above 40°C, and a burning point above 60°C. 3 Petroleum refers to heavy oils and paraffin oils with a flash point between 70°C and <200°C at 1 atmosphere of pressure, excluding paints and other products with a flammable liquid content below 40%. 4 Petroleum includes gear oils and cylinder oils with a flash point between 200°C and <250°C at 1 atmosphere of pressure, excluding paints and other products with a flammable liquid content below 40%.

The South Korean GHS regulations have set a requirement for a review every three years, with the next revision expected to be published in 2026. At that time, it is anticipated that it will continue to align more closely with the new revisions of the United Nations GHS.