South Korea adds Diisobutyl phthalate to safety standards for children’s products 
On July 19, 2021, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of South Korea published the revised Common Safety Standards for Children’s Products (hereinafter referred to as the Common Safety Standards), which newly adds Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) as a regulated substance from January 1, 2022. The Common Safety Standards is based on the Special Act on the Safety of Children’s Products and has already regulated six phthalic acid (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP, DnOP). Therefore, the allowable value of these seven types of phthalic acid must be 0.1% or less in total as the Common Safety Standards.
The revised Common Safety Standards (MOTIE Notification 2021-132) is available at the following URL (in Korean).
https://www.law.go.kr/admRulInfoP.do?admRulSeq=2100000203118
The Common Safety Standards 3.1.3 Phthalic acid
| Item | Allowable value | Note |
| DEHP | 0.1% or less in total | Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate |
| DBP | Dibutyl phthalate | |
| BBP | Benzyl butyl phthalate | |
| DINP | Diisononyl phthalate | |
| DIDP | Disodecyl phthalate | |
| DnOP | Di-n-octyl phthalate | |
| DIBP (newly added) | Diisobutyl phthalate |
Children’s products are defined under Article 2 of the Special Act on the Safety of Children’s Products as “products, parts, or accessories used by or for children under 13 years of age.”
The Act regulates children’s products that require special safety management by designating them as “children’s products subject to safety certification”, “children’s products subject to safety verification”, or “children’s products subject to supplier’s declaration of conformity”. For products that fall under these categories, both the Common Safety Standards and safety standards for individual products are applied. In the case of children’s products to which the individual safety standards do not apply, the Common Safety Standards shall apply. The following are examples of the application of standards for children’s products subject to safety certification.
Types of children’s products subject to safety certification and safety standards to be applied (Appendix 1 of the Enforcement Rules)
| Children’s products subject to safety certification | Applied safety standards |
| Water play equipment | 1. Common Safety Standards
2. Safety standards for children’s water play equipment |
| Play equipment | 1. Common Safety Standards
2. Safety standards for children’s play equipment |
| child restraint systems | 1. Common Safety Standards
2. Safety standards for child restraint systems |
| BB guns | 1. Common Safety Standards
2. Safety standards for BB guns for children |
The individual safety standards can be viewed and downloaded from the following website of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, an agency under the MOTIE.
https://www.kats.go.kr/content.do?cmsid=496
For reference：
The Special Act on the Safety of Children’s Products
https://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=180383&efYd=20170128&ancYnChk=0#0000
The Enforcement Rules of the Special Act on the Safety of Children’s Products
https://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=203291&efYd=20180419&ancYnChk=0#0000
