Common questions about Korean chemical substance regulations and the K-REACH API
K-REACH (Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals) is South Korea's chemical substance management law, similar to EU REACH. It requires registration, evaluation, and authorization of chemical substances manufactured or imported into Korea. The law is administered by the Ministry of Environment through the Korea Environment Corporation (KECO).
You can check any chemical's regulatory status under K-REACH using the K-REACH Chemical Substance API. Search by CAS number, KE number, or substance name. The API returns boolean flags (is_toxic, is_restricted, is_prohibited, etc.) for instant screening, plus detailed regulation records and GHS hazard data.
Both regulate chemical substances, but K-REACH is specific to South Korea while EU REACH covers the European Union. Key differences include: K-REACH uses KE numbers (not EC numbers), has different registration tonnage thresholds, classifies substances into 9 Korean-specific categories (toxic, restricted, prohibited, etc.), and is administered by KECO rather than ECHA. See our detailed comparison page for more.
KE numbers (Korea Existing Chemical numbers) are unique identifiers assigned to chemical substances registered in Korea's existing chemicals inventory. Format: KE-XXXXX. They serve a similar purpose to EC numbers in the EU system. The K-REACH API supports lookup by both CAS numbers and KE numbers.
The K-REACH Chemical Substance API database is verified daily against official Korean government sources (Korea Environment Corporation via data.go.kr). When regulatory changes are detected, the database is updated automatically with a zero-downtime deployment pipeline. Response headers include X-Data-Version and X-Data-Last-Checked for transparency.
GHS (Globally Harmonized System) is an international standard for classifying and labeling chemical hazards. Korean GHS classifications include signal words (Danger/Warning), pictogram codes (GHS01-GHS09), hazard statement codes (H-codes), and precautionary statement codes (P-codes). The K-REACH API provides complete Korean GHS classification data for regulated substances (toxic, restricted, prohibited, CMR).
Yes. Three substances are available with full response data on the free BASIC tier: Benzene (CAS 71-43-2), Ethanol (CAS 64-17-5), and Formaldehyde (CAS 50-00-0). These return complete regulatory classifications, GHS hazard data, and regulation details without requiring a paid subscription.
The K-REACH Chemical Substance API covers 46,000+ chemical substances registered under Korea's chemical management system, with 49,000+ regulation records across 9 classification types and GHS hazard data for regulated substances.
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