Notifications for Republic of Korea (388 notifications)

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for Food Additives". The main points of the amendments are as follows: 1) Standards for the use of sweeteners will be revised; 2) Managements standards for flavouring substances and other substances will be strengthened.

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for Food Additives". The main points of the amendments are as follows: 1) The use of nutritional fortifiers, including new designations will be expanded; 2) Standards for the use of sulfites and other substances will be revised; 3) Ingredient specifications for phosphates and other substances will be revised; 4) Standards for the use of sweeteners will be revised; 5) Testing methods for ingredient specifications and specific gravity measurements for food additives will be revised.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) in the Republic of Korea, has added host plants of Radopholus similis, one of the prohibited quarantine pests of Korea, which is based on the result of Pest Risk Analysis (PRA).The import of the whole plants (including leaves and stems) of Aponogeton natans from the regions or countries specified below will be prohibited, and this measure will be applied on consignment shipped on and after 19 January 2026.- Products covered: Relevant parts of host plants (available in English, 2 pages) associated with Radopholus similisRegions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:North America: Canada, Mexico, United States of America Central America: All countries South America: All countries (except Chile) Africa: All countries Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (restricted areas: Guangzhou City, Maoming City and Shenzhen City in Guangdong, Fujian; and Hong Kong, China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanese Republic, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Yemen Europe: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden Oceania and the Pacific: Australia (except Tasmania), Cook Islands (New Zealand), Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaiian Islands, Micronesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue (New Zealand), Norfolk Island (Australia), Palau, Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, Samoa, Solomon Islands, TongaFull information of prohibited host plants and countries (regions) related to Radopholus similis, can be found in the Attachment 1 (available in English):

The proposed amendments seek to: a. Establish standards for the recognition of mechanically recycled polypropylene as raw material;b. Reorganize the composition system of the “Standards and Specifications for food utensils, Containers and Packages”, including Establishment of term definitions;c. Revise the Migrant specifications for DEHP and DEHA in Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).

The proposed amendment seeks to: 1. Establish manufacturing and processing standards for foods produced using unpasteurized liquid eggs;2. Establish and revise standards and specifications for Standard Nutritional Formulas;3. Revise maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in food (three pesticides including Buprofezin).

The proposed amendments seek to: a. Establish specifications for infants and young children’s rubber products.

The proposed amendment seeks to: 1. Revise specifications for foodborne pathogens in Meal-type Dietary Management Foods;2. Revise food type names for Sugar-fed Honeycomb Honey and Sugar-fed Honey;3. Revise the lists of food ingredients in [Annex 1], [Annex 2] and [Annex 3];4. Establish and revise maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in food (124 pesticides including Dimesulfazet);5. Revise the maximum residue limit (MRL) for veterinary drugs in food (Phenylbutazone);6. Establish and revise general test methods.

The proposed amendments seek to:a. Addition of recognized functional claims for functional ingredients;b. Revision of testing methods for individual components.

This amendment is to clearly stipulate the revocation of the extension of the effective period of registration and rejection of import declarations if the importer, etc. extend the registration of foreign food facilities through fraud or other improper means. It also aims to revise the registration criteria for the traceability of imported health functional foods and infant formula by changing the basis from sales amount to import amount.

This amendment is to address and supplement some deficiencies identified in the operation of the current system, specifically by allowing conditional import inspections for minor labelling violations and requiring online purchase agency business for imported food and other foodstuffs to direct consumers to the MFDS website for safety information on directly purchased imported food and other foodstuffs in their advertisements.

Amendment to the importhealth requirement stipulating  quarantine requirements for pet food imported into the Republic of Korea.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) in the Republic of Korea, has added distributed countries (regions) of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV), as a one of the quarantine pests of Korea, which is based on the result of Pest Risk Analysis (PRA).The below 14 countries (regions) have been added as ToBRFV distributed countries (regions) and the import of seeds for sowing and seedlings (such as nursery/root stocks, cuttings and scions) of Capsicum spp. and Solanum lycopersicum from ToBRFV distributed countries (regions) will need to meet certain condition for import to Korea (see Attachment 1 for details).14 countries (regions) are added to ToBRFV distributed countries (regions): China (Hebei, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jilin, Zhejiang, Anhui, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan, Sichuan, Gansu, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), Colombia, Egypt, Australia (Region: New South Wales, Victoria).Full information about the plants, countries (regions) and additional requirement related to Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) is available in the Attachment 1 (available in English).This measure will be applied on consignment shipped on and after 22 December 2025.[Attachment 1] Additional requirements related to ToBRFV.[Attachment 2] PCR Inspection Certificate.

The proposed amendments seek to:Revise the precautions for intake of Garcinia cambogia extracts [Article 3. 2. 2-25 3)].This action is based on the deliberation that the adverse event of acute hepatitis, which occurred following the consumption of a health functional food, highly likely has a causal relationship with the ingestion of Garcinia cambogia extracts, the functional ingredient.Furthermore, expert opinion indicated that the possibility of liver toxicity occurring when this functional ingredient is consumed concomitantly with alcohol cannot be excluded.To prevent the occurrence of adverse events by providing safety information to consumers, a new precaution will be established: ‘May rarely cause liver damage. Avoid alcohol consumption during the period of ingestion.’

The proposed amendments seek to:A. Streamlining data submission [Article 14, Section 6]Pesticide residue test reports are now only required for plant-based raw materials that may have been exposed to pesticides. The requirement is waived for animal, microbial, and synthetic raw materials.B. Aligning terminology with regulations [Article 2, Section 1; Article 3, Section 2; Article 5, Section 1; Article 14, Sections 5 and 6; Article 19, Section 5; Appendix 1]The definition of "synthetic substances" for functional raw materials will be unified with the "Standards and Specifications for Health Functional Foods." Food classifications like "Foods for Special Nutritional Use" and "Foods for Special Medical Purposes" will be consistently applied according to the "Standards and Specifications for Foods."Administrative terminology will be refined and clarified with English translations to improve user experience.

The proposed amendments seek to:Clarification of Submission Deadlines for Re-evaluation Data [Article 6, Sections 2, 3, and 4]This amendment clarifies the maximum number and duration of extensions for submitting additional data, such as new human application test results, for re-evaluation. It also establishes the procedure for handling submissions that are incomplete after the deadline.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) in the Republic of Korea, has amended the quarantine pest list which is based on the result of a Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) and in accordance with the provisions of Articles 4 and 6 of the Ministerial Ordinance of the Plant Protection Act. The APQA notified to add 51 quarantine pest species from February 2026. The information is detailed in the attachment.

This partial amendment notice aims to:Add beekeeping honey and bee-collected pollen to the quarantine target category; andEstablish quarantine methods and standards to prevent the introduction of foreign bee diseases from a foreign country into the Republic of Korea.

The proposed amendment seeks to:Establish standards for prepared foods and other relevant provisions at food service establishments (including meal service facilities);Revise the preservation and distribution standards;Establish and revise maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in food (114 pesticides including Metamitron);Revise maximum residue limits (MRLs) for veterinary drugs in food (six veterinary drugs including Zilpaterol); Establish and revise general test methods.

a. Amendment of eight functional ingredients, including Soybean Isoflavones; usage precautions, manufacturing standards, specifications, and daily intake amount;b. Addition of new raw materials for nutritional components;c. Expansion of recognized functional claims for functional ingredients;d. Strengthening of management standards and specifications for functional ingredients.

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for Food Additives". The main points of the amendments are as follows:1) The composition system of the “Standards and Specifications for Food Additives” will be reorganized. Especially, nutrient fortifiers and processing aids will be listed separately from general food additives;2) Specifications for enzymes (39 items) will be revised;3) Conditions of use for modified hop extract and vitamin K1 will be revised;4) General test methods for food additives will be revised.