South Korea Upgrades Chemical Hazard Classification System, Adds 96 New Chemicals

On July 22, 2025, the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) of Korea issued Announcement No. 97, pre-announcing a draft revision to its chemical hazard assessment results and initiating a 20-day public consultation period.

This revision is driven by South Korea's reform of its toxic substance designation system, which now categorizes hazardous properties into three distinct classes: substances acutely hazardous to humans, substances chronically hazardous to humans, substances hazardous to ecosystems. Collectively termed substances hazardous to humans/environment. The draft aims to fully integrate this new classification framework into the official announcement of chemical hazard assessment results.

Key Revisions

Classification Label Updates

The column Toxicity Status in current announcement tables (including Appendix 1 for new chemicals and Appendix 2 for existing chemicals) will be uniformly renamed Human/Environmental Hazard Status. The Toxic Substance Unique Number in Appendix 2 for existing chemicals will be changed to Human/Environmental Hazard Substance Unique Number.

Refined Classification Identification

For existing chemicals previously designated as toxic substances, their Human/Environmental Hazard Status column will specify whether they fall under Substances acutely hazardous to humans, Substances chronically hazardous to humans, or Substances hazardous to ecosystems.

New Assessment Results Announced

Hazard assessment results for 45 new chemicals (designated 2025-1 to 2025-45) and 51 existing chemicals (designated 2025-584 to 2025-634) will be added. Announcements will include substance name, CAS number, human/environmental hazard status, hazard grade (covering physicochemical properties, human health hazards, environmental hazards), classification and labeling information, and other necessary safety management details.

Updates to Existing Substance Information

Assessment results for 43 previously announced chemicals (22 new and 21 existing) will be revised and updated based on newly obtained hazard information.

Public Consultation

The public consultation period runs until August 11, 2025. Individuals, institutions, or organizations wishing to submit opinions or suggestions on the draft revision must do so by this date to the Korea Chemicals Safety Institute (Tel: 032-560-8668/8690, Fax: 032-568-2038).

This revision represents a significant step in South Korea's ongoing efforts to refine chemical management, enhancing the scientific accuracy and transparency of risk assessments. The new classification system aims to more precisely reflect the diverse hazard characteristics of chemicals, providing clearer guidance for industry compliance and public awareness.

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Further Information

NICS