G/SPS/N/KOR/488
10 October 2014
(14-5791)  Page: 1/2
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Food products 
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: Proposed Amendments to the Standards and 
Specifications for Foods  Language(s): Korean  Number of pages: 265 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2014/sps/KOR/14_4512_00_x.pdf  
6. Description of content: The proposed amendment seeks to: 
1.  Establish and revise the standards for heavy metals. 
• Inorganic arsenic: not more than 0.2 mg/kg in rice. 
• Lead: not more than 0.1 mg/kg in nuts; not more than 0.05 mg/kg in fruit and 
vegetable juice. 
• Cadmium: not more than 0.2 mg/kg in nuts. 
2.  Revise the standard for the use of Acorus gramineus Soland. 
• Acorus gramineus Soland: shall only be used as a form of water extract. 
3. Establish the standard for the safe use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hemp 
(Cannabis sativa L.) seed (not more than 5 mg/kg) and hemp seed oil (not more 
than 10 mg/kg). 
4. Permit the limited usage of raw young antler (Cornus cervi parvum) in processed 
extract products. 
5. Expand the parts (leaf, stem) allowed to be used from Artemisia annua Linne. 
6. Adopt the statistical concepts for sanitary indicative bacteria and foodborne 
pathogens in 19 food types including rice cakes. 
7. Establish the specifications for Escherichia coli in kimchi for the reinforcement of 
sanitary and safety management. 
8. Establish the regulation related to the sales of thawed products in food service 
businesses. 
• Frozen products may be thawed and sold on the same day in food service 
businesses. G/SPS/N/KOR/488 
 
- 2 - 
 
  7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? 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:   
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available: 
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Advance Notice No. 2014-298, 1 October 2014 (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) : 9 December 2014 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
International Cooperation Office 
Ministry of Food and Drug safety #187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdoek-gu Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 
363-700, Korea 
Tel: +(82 43) 719 1559 Fax: +(82 43) 719 1550 
E-mail: wtokfda@korea.kr 
13. Text(s) available from: [ ] National Notifi cation Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Documents are available from the Ministry of  Food and Drug Safety website at:  
http://www.mfds.go.kr   
Also available from: 
International Cooperation Office 
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety 
#187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdoek-gu Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 
Tel: +(82 43) 719 1559 
Fax: +(82 43) 719 1550 
E-mail: wtokfda@korea.kr