G/SPS/N/KOR/480  
 
29 July 2014  
(14-4345)  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 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: 182 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2014/sps/KOR/14_3313_00_x.pdf  
6. Description of content: The proposed amendment seeks to: 
1.  Establish and revise the maximum residue limits of pesticides in foods: 
- 82 pesticides including glufosinate and so forth in sesame, pumpkin, etc.; 
- For nut seeds (coffee, peanuts, etc.) and tr opical fruits (banana, mango, etc.) that 
 do not have MRL standard, a uniform standard of 0.01 mg/kg will be applied; 
2.  Permit big-belly seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis) to be used as raw material in 
 food with limited use; 
3.  Classify echinoderms and tunicates as molluscs and deletes the exclusion of inshore 
 hagfish and marbled rockfish in the category of abyssal fish; 
4.  Relocate the standard sugar content (Brix) for 100% extract of fruits and vegetables 
 used in beverages from its current position under Article 5. 18-1. 2) to Article 1.1,  "general Principle"; 
5.  Revise general testing method: 
- Revise the method for tetrodotoxin, paralytic shellfish poison and pesticide multi-
 residues analysis; 
- Establish the test method for unapproved genetically modified wheat. 
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.   G/SPS/N/KOR/480 
 
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  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. 2014-191, 15 July 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) : 27 September 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. Texts 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 
363-700, Korea 
Tel: +(82 43) 719 1559 Fax: +(82 43) 719 1550 
E-mail: wtokfda@korea.kr