On August 18, 2020, the Korean Ministry of Environment started a 20-day electronic public hearing on amendments to two implementing rules for the “Act on Safety Management of Consumer Chemical Products and Biocide (K-BPR)”, which was revised earlier this year. And on March 24, 2020, Korea revised the Act, which is due to the be enforced starting from January 1, 2021.
The K-BPR amendments mainly involve the requirements on reporting technical changes of consumer chemical products subject to safety verification, minor administerial adjustment on deadline for notifying existing biocidal substances subject to deferred approval requirements (manufacture or import of a biocidal substance without obtaining the approval within the grace period announced by MoE), added clauses concerning principles for minimization vertebrate tests, obligation of quality control, special exemption and appointment of local representatives by overseas manufacturers, as well as extended grace period for treated articles from 1 year to 2 years.
On July 31, MoE released amending drafts of the enforcement decree and enforcement rules for K-BPR in the form of Announcement 2020-676 and Announcement 2020-676. The two amendments made synergic adjustments keeping with the revised K-PBR, highlighted as follows:
Specifying conditions and procedures for consumer chemical products and biocides exempted from safety standard verification, report and approval, etc.;
Complementary standards for similarity of imported biocidal products;
Reasons for repeated conduct of vertebrate animal tests;
Detailed provision on reporting and approval of changes, disclosing information on household chemical/subject to safety verification;
Selection of representative for joint submission of data;
Define standards for quality control;
Requirements and notification procedures for local representatives appointed by foreign manufacturers;
Supplements to the designation standard for testing facity;
Establishment of criteria for payment of monetary rewards concernning illegal distribution, sale, storage, or disposal of non-compliance chemical/biocide products.
source： Korean Ministry of Enviroment
