WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/KOR/329 
15 June 2009  
 (09-2903) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  REPUBLIC OF KOREA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Korea Food and Drug Administration 
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):  Food additives 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ X ] All trading partners, or [   ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Proposed Amendments to the Standards and 
Specifications for Food Additives  Language:  Korean  Number of pages:  105 
6. Description of content:  The proposed regulation establishes and revises compositional 
specifications for 30 food additives. 
(1) Specifications for heavy metals are stre ngthened or established in the following 
30 items: 
Microcrystalline cellulose, guar gum, lecithin, locust bean gum, lysozyme, tagetes 
extract, beewax, bentonite, powdered cellulo se, beet red, xanthan gum, shellac, 
cyclodextrin, arabic gum, annatto extract, al ginic acid, liquid paraffin, invertase, gellan 
gum, carnauba wax, caramel color, karaya gum, curdlan, cochineal extract, tara gum, tannic acid, d-tocopherol concentrate (mixed), d-a-tocopherol concentrate, tragacanth 
gum, oleoresin paprika. 
(2) Specifications for residual solvents are established in the following 5 items: 
Guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, cyclodextrin, tannic acid. 
(3) Microbiological criteria are established for 12 items: 
Guar gum, locust bean gum, lysozyme, bentonite, xanthan gum, cyclodextrin, alginic 
acid, invertase, gellan gum, karaya gum, curdlan, tragacanth gum. 
(4) Specifications for contents of cyclodextrin and d-tocopherol concentrate (mixed) are 
revised. 
By means of this regulation, standards for manufacture of genetically modified food 
additives are established. G/SPS/N/KOR/329 
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   Definitions of hypochlorous acid water, cyclodextrin and d-tocopherol concentrate (mixed) 
are revised. 
Standards for use of smoke flavour are also revised.  
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 stan dard?  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 N°)     
[ 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:  The Korea 
Food and Drug Administration Advance Notic e No. 2009-157, 9 June 2009 (available in 
Korean) 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  To be determined. 
Propose 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: [   ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  8 August 2009 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National Notification 
Authority, [   ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
International Trade & Statistics Office 
Korea Food & Drug Administration 
#194 Tongilro, Eunpyeong-gu 
Seoul, 122-704 Korea  Fax:  +(82 2) 356 2893 E-mail:  wtokfda@korea.kr  G/SPS/N/KOR/329 
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  13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National Notification Authority, [   ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
Documents are available from the Korea Food and Drug Administration website at 
http://www.kfda.go.kr .  Also available from: 
International Trade & Statistics Office 
Korea Food & Drug Administration 
#194 Tongilro, Eunpyeong-gu Seoul, 122-704 Korea Fax:  +(82 2) 356 2893 E-mail:  wtokfda@korea.kr