G/SPS/N/KOR/320/Add.1  
 
15 July 2013  
(13-3754)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 2 July 2013, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the Republic of Korea. 
 
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 Proposed Amendments to the Standards & Specifications for Foods 
Following a recent governmental reorganization, the Republic of Korea unified managements by 
combining and abolishing food safety and sanitary tasks, and thus, the sanitary management tasks 
on "The frozen edible fish head and frozen edible  fish intestines", which had been carried out by 
the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fi sheries (MIFAFF) all the while, will be supervised 
by the MFDS. 
The MFDS will be responsible for inspection of im ported fisheries and sanitary management tasks, 
which had been implemented by the MIFAFF, and it will maintain the criteria and standards for the 
existing "The frozen edible fish head and frozen edible fish intestines", as circulated on 
23 March 2009 (notification G/SPS/N/KOR/320) based on the WTO/SPS Agreement. 
The important points of the notification are as follows: 
- The scope of species and parts of frozen fish head for human consumption has been 
expanded. 
The species of frozen fish head approved as fit for human consumption (currently only cod: Gadus 
morhua , Gadus ogac , Gadus macrocephalus ) has been expanded to Southern hake ( Merluccius 
australis ) and tuna. The parts that can be consumed as food include frozen cut head with pectoral 
and ventral fin attached, and frozen edible part s around the head (neck, lower jaw and cheek) 
removed from any edible species (excluding puffer). 
- Newly established sanitary management criteria for frozen intestines of fish for human 
consumption. 
Sanitary management criteria have been established for visceral by-products such as edible 
fish roe (except blowfish eggs), pollack entrai ls, hard roe, and nidamental gland of squid. 
In this regard, the MFDS plans to establish specific procedures and methods to manage imports, 
such as confirming whether the necessary requir ements are met for the above products to be 
exported to the Republic of Korea. This will also  apply, in the same manner for the above products, 
which are produced domestically, to permit the importation of frozen edible fish head and frozen 
edible fish intestines in accordance with the equivalence principle of WTO/SPS Agreement.  
The procedures for confirming that the above prod ucts to be exported to the Republic of Korea 
meet the necessary requirements, are as follows: 
Regarding the frozen fish head and intestines for human consumption which have been imported 
into Korea, the Government of the exporting count ry should approve these products as "fit for 
human consumption" (Frozen edible fish head: HS Code: 0303, Frozen edible intestines: 
HS Code: 0303, HS Code: 0306, HS Code: 0307) according to Harmonized Commodity Description 
and Coding System of World Customs Organization (WCO) and submit a list of processing establishments that plans to export to Korea (Attachment 1). A health certificate (Attachment 2) G/SPS/N/KOR/320/Add.1 
 
- 2 - 
 
  should be attached for every case of frozen edible fish head and edible intestines exported to the 
Republic of Korea. 
In this case, importation will be permitted pending on the results of a sanitation assessment 
carried out by our government by way of conducti ng on-site sanitary inspection of the frozen 
edible fish head processing establishment and fishery by-products processing establishments in 
the exporting country. In this regard, we ask for your kind cooperation when our government inspectors perform on-site inspection on your processing establishment. 
In order to facilitate bilateral trade of fishery products, we ask for your kind cooperation to ensure 
that the above measures are implemented as soon as possible by your Government. 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2013/sps/KOR/13_2575_00_x.pdf  
This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[ ] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of  previously notified draft regulation 
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation 
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force 
[X] Other:   
Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified 
measure in terms of products and/or potent ially affected Members, a new deadline for 
receipt of comments should be provided, norm ally of at least 60 calendar days. Under 
other circumstances, such as extension of or iginally announced final date for comments, 
the comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)  
[ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
Agency or authority designated to handle co mments: [ ] National Notification Authority, 
[X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of 
other body: 
Contact Point: Sim-Jong, Lee (Deputy Director) 
Foreign Inspection Division Ministry for Food and Drug Safety Tel: +(82 43) 719 2230 
Fax: +(82 43) 719 2200 
E-mail : lsj8091@korea.kr   
Website: http://www.mfds.go.kr  
Text available from: [ ] National Notificati on Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. 
Address, fax number and e-mail addre ss (if available) of other body: 
Contact Point: Sim-Jong, Lee (Deputy Director) 
Foreign Inspection Division 
Ministry for Food and Drug Safety Tel: +(82 43) 719 2230 Fax: +(82 43) 719 2200 
E-mail: lsj8091@korea.kr  
Website: http://www.mfds.go.kr  
 
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