On December 2, 2025, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) issued Announcement No. 127-2025. In line with the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH), NICS published a draft amendment to the Regulations on Classification and Labeling of Chemical Substances, etc. and is now inviting public comments.
Key Proposed Changes
1. New Classification and Labeling Requirements
Following the re-evaluation of substances that have undergone hazard assessments, the draft revision updates hazard classifications and corresponding labeling requirements for chemicals identified as Human Hazardous Substances, particularly those with strong skin corrosivity.
· A total of 75 new substances have been added under Human Hazardous Substances (Appendix 4), with unique identification numbers 2025-1-1281 to 2025-1-1355.
2. Updates to Existing Substance Information
· Added CAS No. 124-43-6 for substance ID 97-1-3.
· Updated the UN number to 2810 for substance ID 97-1-79.
· Revised chemical names for:
o 97-1-381 → Sodium fluoride
o 97-1-417 → p-Dimethylaminobenzenediazosulfonate
· Updated pictogram codes for 2014-1-717 to GHS02, GHS05, GHS06.
For full details, refer to the official NICS document: (Link as provided in the original announcement)
Effective Date
The amendment becomes effective immediately upon announcement.
Reason for the Revision
This update is linked to changes in the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances that came into force on August 7, 2025. With expanded criteria for designating Human Hazardous Substances—including acutely toxic, chronically toxic, and ecologically hazardous chemicals—NICS has
updated classifications for newly identified substances and revised information for certain existing entries.
Public Consultation
Stakeholders—individuals, institutions, organizations, and associations—may submit feedback on the draft until December 22, 2025 using the NICS comment sheet. Contact: Tel: 032-560-8681 | Fax: 032-568-2038
Transitional Measures
· Entities required to label hazardous chemicals must comply with the revised requirements from the effective date through January 1, 2027.
· For sodium hypochlorite (ID 2025-1-1355), labeling compliance is extended until January 1, 2028.
