. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/KOR/63
6 October 1999
(99-4173)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying :  REPUBLIC OF KOREA
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Korea Food and Drug Administration
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Food products
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Amendment and Establishment of
Food Code (415 pages in Korean)
5. Description of content:
Korea Food and Drug Administration revises the Food Code as following:
• Amendment of sampling and sample-handling methods to ensure the rationality of the
performance of food inspectors
• Amendment of requirements for raw food materials
- More than 240 new materials such as medicinal plants are added to use as food 
ingredients.
• Abolishment of criteria for exporting food products
• Liberalization of shelf-life requirements
- The shelf-life period for 20 items [Tofu products (12 items), Noodles (4 items),
Packed Lund (3 items), Fried food products] are liberalized.
• Simplify the requirements for manufacturing and/or processing in all food products
• Amendment of specifications for constituents
- Deregulation of quality specifications, such as moisture content, saponification
value, which are less related with safety.
- The maximum residue levels for lead in fresh water fish (2.0 mg/kg), chitosan
products (2.0 mg/kg), propolis extracted products (5.0 mg/kg) and calcium content
products (3.0 mg/kg), mercury in fresh water fish (0.5 mg/kg), cadmium in shellfish(2.0 mg/kg), rice (0.2 mg/kg) and sulphur dioxide in sugared products (30.0 mg/kg)
are newly established based on risk assessment results by the Korea Food and Drug
Administration.
• Reclassification of food types to harmonize with international norms
• Addition of new test methods
- New test methods such as HMF, Cholin, are introduced based on the international
recognized methods such as Associati on of Official Analytical Chemists.G/SPS/N/KOR/63
Page 2
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  Codex General Standard for food
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  KFDA Public Notice
No. 1999-34 (30 August 1999, Available in Korean)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined.
11. Final date for comments:  28 October 1999
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:  KFDA
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Food Evaluation/KFDA
5 Nokbyun-dong, Eunpyung-gu, Seoul, Korea, 122-704
Tel:  82-2-380-1664
Fax:  82-2-382-4892