On August 6, 2025, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) announced revisions to the Standards for Classification, Labeling, and Material Safety Data Sheets of Chemical Substances (MoEL Notice No. 2025-50). The amendments took effect on August 7, 2025.

These updates were introduced to align with the 2024 amendments to K-REACH (Notice No. 2023-2, enforced from August 7, 2025). On the same day, the National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) under the Ministry of Environment issued Notice No. 2025-19, renaming the Notice on Designation of Toxic Substances to the Notice on Designation of Acute Hazardous Substances to Human Health, Chronic Hazardous Substances to Human Health, and Ecological Hazardous Substances, while also updating the hazardous substance list.

As a result, the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) standards were revised to reflect these regulatory changes.

Key Revisions:

1. Self-heating Substances (Category 1)

a. Old: Positive test result using a 25 mm cube at 140°C.

b. New: Positive test result using a 25 mm cube sample (“sample cube”) at 140°C.

2. Oxidizing Solids – Test O.3 Criteria

a. Category 1: Criteria changed from “mean burning time less than” → “mean burning rate greater than” reference mixture (CaO₂ + cellulose, 3:1).

b. Category 2: Same adjustment, but compared with CaO₂ + cellulose (1:1).

c. Category 3: Same adjustment, but compared with CaO₂ + cellulose (1:2).

3. Serious Eye Damage/Eye Irritation (Category 1)

a. Criteria for mixtures containing ≥3% of Category 1 substances (serious eye damage/skin corrosion) clarified.

b. The explanatory note remains: if an ingredient is classified under both categories, its concentration is only counted once.

 

Modification of Transport Pictograms

Flammable Liquids Hazard Label – UN GHS (RTDG)

 

Addition of Regulatory Information Requirements

The content of Section 15 (Regulatory Information) in the SDS example provided in Appendix 4 has been revised.

A new mandatory item has been introduced: Relevant regulations under the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH).

· Effective July 1, 2026: All SDS must include this new requirement in Section 15, aligned with the revised K-REACH Act.

· Transition Period (until June 30, 2026): Companies may continue to prepare SDS using the old example format, placing K-REACH regulatory information under other regulatory headings within Section 15.

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