Korea RoHS – The Act for Resource Recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles   (commonly known as Korea RoHS) entered into force on July 1, 2008. The Korea RoHS restricts the same substances and concentration limits as is being used in the EU’s RoHS Directive, which includes lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, cadmium and polybrominated diphenyl ether. Korea RoHS applies to electrical and electronic equipment, including home appliances, cellular phones, computers, audio devices, etc., as well as vehicles that include component parts. The directive mandates the declaration of the concentration limits of hazardous substances as well as provisions on mandatory recycling rates and practices for electrical and electronic equipment.

Korea REACH/K-REACH – Korea REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals)   not only regulates chemical substances but also regulates chemical consumer products. Products containing hazardous chemical substances may require notification while products of risk concern needs to comply with additional safety and labelling standards. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) is responsible for the registration and evaluation of chemical substances under this Act. The amended act was promulgated in March 2018 and came into force on 1 Jan 2019. 

Korea Electrical Safety Law (KC Mark) – The electrical product safety certification is divided into mandatory certification and self-discipline (voluntary) streams. Electronic products belonging to the mandatory certification must be certified by KC mark before they can be sold in the Korean market and are subject to factory inspections and product sampling tests every year. Voluntary certification means that all electronic products belonging in this stream are tested and certified without a factory review. The certificate is valid for 5 years.