Korea to allow importation of substances classified into both restricted and toxic only with permission for restricted substances

On July 22, 2022, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea announced the proposed amendment to the enforcement degree of the Chemical Control Act (hereinafter referred to as the CCA) and announced that it will solicit opinions until August 31, 2022. The proposed amendment would allow importation of “substances that are classified into both restricted substances and toxic substances” if only an import permission for restricted substances is obtained. Under the current regulations, when importing “substances that are classified into both restricted substances and toxic substances,” the importer must obtain an import permission for restricted substances and also make an import declaration for toxic substances. The Ministry of Environment stated that the amendment will be made in order to make the chemical import system more convenient and streamlined.