South Korea Declares Exemptions and a Comprehensive List for Persistent Pollutants

The South Korean Ministry of Environment formally announced a thorough modification of the categories of persistent pollutants and particular exemption regulations on September 4, 2024, with the release of Notification No. 2024-571. The Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Control Act defines persistent pollutants, and this amendment attempts to update and specify the precise chemical names and their CAS numbers. In order to maintain public health and environmental protection, the modifications also include clarifications on particular exemptions and the dates on which they expire. The period of time for public input is September 23, 2024, to today.

Important Changes:

Specific pollution labels for long-term exposure

The particular chemical names and CAS numbers of Persistent Pollutants are listed in Table 1 of the annex. According to the terms of the Stockholm Convention, materials that are created during industrial processes or appear as inadvertent trace impurities in goods but are not included in Annex A or B are not regarded as persistent pollutants. Mixtures with more than 1% of short-chain chlorinated paraffins by weight are still considered persistent pollutants.

Note: Except for purposes allowed by the Stockholm Convention, substances listed in Annex A (prohibited substances) to Annex B (restricted substances) are either banned or subject to restrictions on their production, use, import, and export. Materials included in Annex C (unintentionally generated compounds) necessitate both emission control strategies and an examination of the sources and amounts of emissions.

Explanation of particular exemptions

Table 2 of the annex lists the precise materials and applications that may be freed from the ban and limitations on the domestic manufacture, importation, and use of persistent pollutants in accordance with the Persistent Organic Pollutants Control Act. To guarantee the safe management of certain specially exempted persistent pollutants, the Ministry of Environment will reevaluate the availability of alternatives, socioeconomic implications, and effects on the environment and human health.

Review of Policies and Public Involvement

Institutions, groups, or individuals may submit their thoughts to the Ministry of Environment to be included in the modification during the public solicitation. Beginning on July 1, 2024, the Environment Minister must assess the notification’s rationale every three years and make any necessary