G/SPS/N/KOR/723  
 
16 June 2021  
(21-4925) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  REPUBLIC OF KOREA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Living modified organisms (LMOs)  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft partial amendment of the Transboundary 
Movement, etc. of Living Modified Organisms Act . Language(s):  Korean . Number of 
pages:  30 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/SPS/KOR/21_4182_00_x.pdf  
6. Description of content:   
1. Through the introduction of the Preliminary Review System, low -risk LMOs in which 
foreign gene has not been introduced to the final product shall be exempted from risk 
review and approval on the import, production and contained use;  
2. Under the current law, LMOs (including animals, plants, and microorganisms) that 
have introduced drug -resistant genes must obtain the approval when they are 
imported and developed. In the amendment, the scope of approval has been reduced 
from living organisms to living microorga nisms;  
3. The provision on the establishment and operation of confined filed trial areas was 
created and the confined field trial areas shall be separately managed from research 
facilities to unify the management system.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [X]  animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [X]  protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Aliment arius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM nu mber) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  G/SPS/N/KOR/723  
 
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  [ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
MOTIE  Public Notice No. 2021 -421 (26 May 2021)  (available in Korean)  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 15 August 2021  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Bio-Convergence Industry Division  
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Ener gy 
Government Complex -Sejong, 402, Hannuri -Daero, Sejong -si 30118  
Republic of Korea  
Tel: +(82) 44 203 4396  
Fax: +(82) 44 203 4731  
E-mail: kooku757@korea.kr  
13. Text(s) available from: [  ] National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Documents are available from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy website at 
http://www.motie.go.kr . Also available from:  
 
Bio-Convergence Industry Division  
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy  
Government Complex -Sejong, 402, Hannuri -Daero, Sejong -si 30118  
Republic of Korea  
Tel: +(82) 44 203 4396  
Fax: +(82) 44 203 4731  
E-mail: kooku757@korea.kr