South Korea to include Priority-Controlled Substances to the scope of disclosure of results on chemical statistical survey

On August 23, 2021, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea announced a legislative notice of a partial amendment to the Regulations on the Statistical Survey Results on Chemical Substances and Operation of Information Disclosure System, and invited comments with the deadline of September 9, 2021. The purpose of the proposal is to satisfy the general public’s right to know by adding the information of “Priority-Controlled Substances” (status of handling) to the scope of disclosure of chemical statistical survey results on the Comprehensive Chemical Substances Information System. The proposed amendment to the scope of disclosure would be effective from the statistical survey conducted in FY 2021.

The key contents of the proposed amendment are as follows.

1. Priority controlled substances designated under the Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals would be added to the chemical substances subject to the disclosure of statistical survey results on the Comprehensive Chemical Substances Information System (Article 2).
2. Priority-controlled substances would be added in the examples of disclosed status of handling of chemical substances in Annex 1 and Annex 3.
3. The proposed amendment regarding the scope of disclosure would start from the statistical survey conducted in FY 2021 (Article 2 of the supplementary provisions).

Appended Table 1: Scope of disclosure of chemical substance survey results (fundamental disclosure (related to Article 2, Paragraph 2))

1. 1. General information on business operator
      • Name of the business operator, name of the representative, location, primary business type, number of employees
      • Competent environmental authority, industrial park, agricultural-industrial complex, name of inflow water system
      • Name of the area for portable water source protection, name of the area for special measures for air and water quality conservation
      • Type of the chemicals discharging facility (ambient / water)
   2. Maximum storage quantities for chemical substances and the status of occurrence of chemical accidents
      • Status of storage of chemical substances
      • Status of occurrence of chemical accidents and emergency contact information of the business sites
   3. Status of handling of chemical substances
   4. • Name of each product and whether it is a mixture or not
      • Quantities of annually stocked, used and sold of each chemical substance

      *If the substance concerned is designated as a hazardous chemical substance, hazardous factor, dangerous good, toxic gas, or priority-controlled substance under the Chemicals Control Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act, High Pressure Gas Safety Management Act, or Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals, it must be stated as such.

1. 4. Quantities discharged and transferred of chemical substances subject to the survey on chemicals discharged
      • Quantities of chemicals discharged into the atmosphere, water systems, and soil
      • Quantity of matters landfilled on-site
      • Quantities of wastewater and waste transferred

Appended Table 2: Scope of disclosure on chemical substances upon a request (individual disclosure (related to Article 2, Paragraph 4))

1. 1. Status of handling of chemical substances
      • Name of the product, whether it is a mixture or not, state at normal temperature and pressure (solid, liquid, or gas)
      • Composition and components of the product
      • Status of facilities that handle the product

1. 2. Other items included in the statistical survey form of the chemical substance
      • Information on export
      • Information on the owner of the component, etc.

Appended Table 3: Scope of the disclosure of information on handling of chemical substances (related to Article 3, Paragraph 2)

1. 1. General information on business operator
      • Name of the business operator, name of the representative (phone number), location, primary business type, number of employees
      • Competent environmental authority, industrial park, agricultural and industrial park, name of inflow water system
      • Name of the area for portable water source protection, name of the area for special measures for air and water quality conservation
      • Type of discharging facility (ambient / water)

1. 2. History of violations of provisions or orders based on the Chemicals Control Act
   3. History of chemical accidents in the last five years
   4. Status of handling of chemical substances in relation to the chemical accidents

The press release by MOE and the proposed amendment can be viewed at: (In Korean)
https://www.epeople.go.kr/cmmn/idea/redirect.do?ideaRegNo=1AE-2108-0002130

[Reference]
Regulations on the Statistical Survey Results on Chemical Substances and Operation of Information Disclosure System:
https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/admRulLsInfoP.do?admRulSeq=2100000182611