G/SPS/N/KOR/590  
 
15 January 2018  
(18-0406) 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 Oceans and Fisheries  
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 th e extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners Countries exporting fisheries and marine related LMOs to the 
Republic of Korea  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Draft Amendment of Public Notice related to the 
enforcement of "Transboundary Movement, Etc. of Living Modified Organisms Act" 
(hereinafter "the Act").  Regulation Title: (Ministry of Oceans & Fisheries, MOF) Draft 
Amendment of Public Notice of the Korean Government related to Transboundary 
Movement,  Etc. of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs)  
Language(s): Korean.  Number of pages: 28 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/SPS/KOR/18_0351_00_x.pdf  
6. Description of content: This public notice is to make the Act consistent with its primary 
laws or other provisions mentioned in the public notice and to revise other details: making 
compulsory the application for risk assessment of new marine and fisheries  LMOs, which is 
being defined as discretionary with regard to their safety management; and, if marine and 
fisheries LMOs are imported without license, discarding or returning those imported LMOs 
regardless of their proportion.  
A. To make compulsory the application for the risk assessment of new LMOs, which is 
being defined as discretionary, the same as in Article 7(2) of the Act. (Article 7 -1); 
B. If marine and fisheries LMOs are imported along with other living organisms without 
license, such LMOs should b e discarded or returned regardless of their proportion just 
as the unapproved or unreported LMOs are treated under Article 7 -36 of the Act. 
(Article 7 -15); 
C. To add research and production process facilities so that the scope of follow -up 
management of marin e and fisheries LMOs can be consistent with the scope defined in 
Article 36 of the Act. (Article 7 -27); 
D. To add the procedure to notify the inspection result of the imported marine and 
fisheries LMOs. (Article 7 -33). 
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food sa fety, [X]  animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [X]  protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  G/SPS/N/KOR/590  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius 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 number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: The Draft Amendment of Public Notice notified here is consistent 
with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available: Ministry 
of Oceans and Fisheries Advance Notice No. 2017 -905, 30 October 2017  (available in 
Korean) . 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : As soon as possible after the final date for 
comments.  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : As soon as possible after the final date for 
comments.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) : As soon as possible after the final date for comments.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [ X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 16 March 2018  
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:  
Marine Ecology Division  
Ministry of   Oceans and Fisheries  
Government Complex Sejong, 5 -dong, 94, Dasom -2ro, Sejong  
30110, Republic of Korea  
Tel.: +(82 44) 200 5317  
Fax: +(82 44) 200 5319  
E-mail: jimok@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:   
Relevant document (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Advance Notice No. 2017 -905, 30 
Oct 2017) is availabl e in Korean from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries website at 
http://www.mof.go.kr  
Also available from:   
Marine Ecology Division  
Ministry of   Oceans and Fisheries  
Government Complex Sejong, 5 -dong, 94, Dasom -2ro, Sejong  
30110, Republic of Korea  
Tel.: +(82 44) 200 5317  
Fax: +(82 44) 200 5319  
E-mail: jimok@korea.kr