South Korea
MoEL Notice No. 2025-50

How is GHS implemented
in South Korea?

South Korea implements the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) through the Standards for Classification, Labeling and Material for Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) of Chemical Substances, established in the MoEL Notice No. 2025-50 under the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act (K-OSHA) which aims to protect the health and safety of workers.

The last amendment was made on August 6, 2025, which implements the changes indicated by the Korean Ministry of Environment (MoE) according to the Act on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances in Korea (K-REACH, Notice No. 20232, effective August 7, 2025). While K-OSHA sets the classification and labeling standards for chemicals, K-REACH focuses on the registration and evaluation of chemicals.

What is Notice No. 2025-50?

The Standards for Classification, Labeling, and Material Safety Data Sheets for Chemical Substances established in Notice No. 2025-50 adopt revision 4 of the GHS in South Korea.

Notice No. 2025-50 entered into force on August 7, 2025 to support the new K-REACH amendments and has an adaptation period until June 30, 2026. Initially, in South Korea the GHS is mandatory for chemical substances since July 1, 2010 and since July 1, 2013 for chemical mixtures.

The Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) oversees the implementation of the GHS through K-OSHA. Other important organizations are the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) and the MoE.

The Standards for the Classification, Labeling and MSDS of Chemical Substances apply to hazardous chemical products in general, although there are certain exceptions such as cosmetics, pesticides and detergents that are covered under other legislations.

What are the most relevant points of Notice No. 2025-50?

• Both the SDS and the label must be in Korean language.
• The SDS must follow the 16-section structure of the GHS.
  • The emergency telephone number to be shown in section 1.4 of the SDS must be either that of the South Korean importer, or that of an agent in Korea designated by foreign manufacturers in the case of acting as a domestic importer.
• The following hazard categories are excluded from K-OSHA: flammable gases and chemically unstable gases of categories 1A and 1B, all categories of chemicals under pressure, all categories of desensitized explosives, corrosion/skin irritation category 3, and acute environmental hazards category 2 and 3.
• In Section 3 the concentration range of the constituents of a chemical should be indicated with a maximum range of ± 5%.
• To align with the latest K-REACH amendment, the section ‘Relevant K-REACH Regulations’ must be indicated separately in section 15 of the SDS as of July 1, 2026. This is a difference from the current obligation where this point can be indicated within ‘Other Regulations’.
  • If data are missing when notifying a substance, the substances or mixtures will be classified as unconfirmed hazard. Therefore, in section 15 of the SDS should appear: the phrase ‘Substance with unconfirmed hazards (name of the phrase)’, specific unconfirmed risk elements and a statement of safe handling.
• The minimum requirements of the labeling include: identification of the product and supplier or importer, pictograms (with a maximum of 4), warning words (can be omitted if the container has a size less than or equal to 100 ml/g), H phrases and P phrases (with a maximum of 6).
  • The minimum size of the label should be proportional to the size of the package.
  • The size of the pictograms must be at least one fifteenth of the minimum surface area of the label.

What other chemical regulatory requirements apply in South Korea?

• The Korean Chemical Control Act (CCA) replaces the old Toxic Chemical Control Act (TCCA) and aims at the control of chemicals once they are on the market, as well as the prevention of accidents. The CCA and K-REACH are complementary, and between the two, they represent the main regulations for the handling of chemical substances and products in Korea.
  • The CCA contains the lists of toxic, restricted and prohibited substances in Korea.
  • According to K-REACH those substances produced in a quantity < 1 ton/year must be reported without the need for a complete registration. It also includes the options to request confidential commercial information (CBI).
• The NICS, through Notice No. 2025-19, establishes three categories of substances in Korea according to their dangerousness to human health: dangerous, acutely dangerous, and chronically dangerous.
• In Korea, the National Emergency Situation Management Agency (NEMA), is responsible for the Dangerous Goods Safety Control Act which sets the classification and labeling standards for dangerous goods. In particular, flammable liquid transport pictograms should be marked with the number 3.
• Cosmetics are governed under the Cosmetics Law that was enacted on July 1, 2000. It is governed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).
• The Law on the Management of the Safety of Consumer Chemicals and Biocides (K-BPR) regulates detergents. It is governed under the MoE. It entered into force on January 1, 2019 in South Korea. Importantly, detergents are subject to various obligations depending on whether they are treated as ‘consumer chemicals’ or ‘biocides’.
• The Pesticide Control Act (PCA) regulates pesticides. It establishes a system of positive lists (SLP) that has been establishing maximum residue limits in the agronomic field since 2019. It is governed under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).

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