South Korea to revise chemical accident prevention and control plan system 
On February 26, 2026, the South Korean government released a proposed amendment to the Regulations on the Preparation, etc. of Chemical Accident Prevention and Control Plans (National Institute of Chemical Safety Notice No. 2026-07). The amendment is intended to reflect the recent revisions to the Chemicals Control Act and to improve the Chemical Accident Prevention and Control Plan System by clarifying its scope of application and reducing the regulatory burden on businesses.
Overview of the Chemical Accident Prevention and Control Plan System
Pursuant to Article 23 of the Chemicals Control Act, a business operator intending to install and operate facilities that handle hazardous chemicals must prepare and submit a Chemical Accident Prevention and Control Plan in advance. The purpose of the plan is to assess the potential impact of a chemical accident on the surrounding environment and local residents and to establish measures to minimize damage.
The plan covers a wide range of safety management elements, including hazard information on the chemicals handled, accident impact analysis, process risk assessment, emergency response systems, and resident evacuation plans. In addition, plans for major facilities handling hazardous chemicals must be updated every five years, and after submission, they are subject to government review, on-site inspection, and requests for supplementation or correction.
After submission, business operators remain responsible for properly implementing the plan. The government may verify implementation of the plan through periodic inspections and, where necessary, order corrective measures.
Key Revisions
The proposed amendment can be broadly grouped into the following three areas.
1. Clarification of the scope of application and relevant definitions
The amendment revises the scope of system and related terminology in line with the revised definition of hazardous chemicals under the Chemicals Control Act.
- Further classification of hazardous chemicals: The previous concept of “toxic chemicals” is now further divided into substances acutely hazardous to human health, substances chronically hazardous to human health, substances hazardous to the environment, and accident preparedness substances, thereby aligning the terminology with related laws, including the Chemicals Control Act.
- Introduction of a definition of Maximum Holding Quantity: A new concept of Maximum Holding Quantity is introduced, defined as the aggregate maximum quantity of each regulated substance that may temporarily remain at a business site. The required level of plan preparation is to be determined based on this quantity.
- Redefinition of Class 1 and Class 2 business sites: The former classification criteria, which were based on handling quantity, have been revised to criteria based on whether the newly defined Maximum Holding Quantity meets or exceeds the prescribed threshold quantities (upper and lower thresholds).
2. Reorganization of the plan preparation method and expansion of exemptions
The proposed amendment also organizes the plan preparation method into more systematic one and introduces additional exemptions under certain conditions.
- Determination of the preparation level: The maximum holding quantity must be calculated on a business site basis, and the preparation level (Group 1 or Group 2) must be determined in accordance with Appendix Table 1 of the proposed amendment. The plan must then be prepared and submitted accordingly. For Group 2 business sites, certain items may be exempt from preparation and submission.
- Addition of exempt facilities: Facilities handling solid-state lead where there is no risk of dispersion, as well as cases where naturally occurring substances have not been altered or extracted, pursuant to item 3 of Appendix Table 1 of Chemical Substances Exempt from Registration or Reporting under the Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals, were newly specified as exempt from the requirement to submit the plan.
- Revision of forms: The forms for the plan have been revised to reflect the updated terminology and newly added provisions.
3. Easing of overlapping regulation with other laws
The amendment also addresses overlapping regulation with other laws, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Specifically, it introduces measures to reduce duplicate compliance burdens by allowing businesses to use materials already prepared for other regulatory schemes. For example, integrated forms such as the Process Safety Report (PSM) administered by the Ministry of Employment and Labor may be used as an alternative to preparing and submitting a Chemical Accident Prevention and Control Plan.
Public comments on the proposed amendment are accepted through March 13, 2026.
Full text of the latest proposed amendment (National Institute of Chemical Safety Notice No. 2026-07) (No. 1404):
https://nics.mcee.go.kr/boardView.do
