According to industry sources in South Korea, KECO will comprehensively strengthen supervision in the fourth quarter of 2025.

On February 27, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) jointly announced the launch of a K-REACH Compliance Grace Period from February 28 to October 27, 2025, during which non-compliant companies may voluntarily declare past violations. Enterprises that proactively admit failures to register, amend registrations, or submit pre-registrations before February 27, 2025, and rectify these gaps, will be exempt from criminal penalties (imprisonment of up to 5 years), fines (up to KRW 100 million), and additional penalties (5% of annual turnover).

On May 26, 2025, the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) of South Korea issued Notice No. 2025-8, amending the Hazard Assessment Results of Chemical Substances (originally announced as Notice No. 2025-5 on February 18, 2025) under the Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Act (K-REACH) and its enforcement rules. The amendments take effect immediately upon publication.

Under K-REACH, polymers meeting PLC criteria may qualify for registration exemptions by submitting GPC reports.

On February 5, 2025, the South Korean National Assembly officially launched the legislative revision process for the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH), aiming to resolve disputes in the joint submission system for chemical substances and fill legal gaps in the replacement procedures for foreign manufacturers’ designated Only Representatives (OR). The revision, undergoing parliamentary review from February 7 to 21, 2025, marks a critical step in enhancing South Korea’s chemical management framework.

After completing K-REACH registration, registrants must fulfill post-registration obligations, including the transmission of chemical substance safety information in the supply chain.

On February 27, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) jointly announced at a press conference that a compliance grace period program under the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH) will take effect starting February 28. The policy aims to provide companies that have failed to fulfill chemical management obligations with a rectification window, allowing them to avoid criminal and financial penalties through voluntary reporting.

On February 18, 2025, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) announced the revision of hazard assessment results for 236 chemical substances under the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) and its enforcement rules. The update, formalized through Notice No. 2025-5, aims to strengthen chemical safety management and enhance public health protections.

On February 6, 2024, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea issued Order No. 20232, which includes revisions to certain parts of the K-REACH regulations.The notification threshold for the production/import volume of new substances has been increased from 0.1 tonnes per year to 1 tonne per year.

The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in South Korea recently issued Announcement No. 56 of 2024, under the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances. This new regulation, titled Regulations on the Preparation and Provision of Hazard Information for Chemical Substances, mandates that all enterprises submit detailed supply chain information along with risk and hazard data for chemicals under the K-REACH framework.