WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/KOR/360 
16 April 2012  
 (12-1997) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  REPUBLIC OF KOREA  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :    
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other: [X] 
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Agricultural products, 
fishery products or processed fishery products 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Agricultural and 
Fishery Products Quality Control Act (104 page s in Korean), Enforcement Decree of  the 
Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality Cont rol Act (42 pages in Korean),  Enforcement 
Rule of the Agricultural and Fishery Products Qu ality Control Act (157 pages in Korean)     
6. Description of content:   
Main Content of the Agricultural and Fishery Products Qu ality Control Act. 
As the Ministry for Food, Agricu lture, Forestry and Fisheries became newly in charge of the 
fishery related duties, Agricultural Products Quality Control Act and Quality Control of 
Fishery Products Act have been integrated . Agricultural Quality Control Deliberation 
Committee and Fishery Products  Quality Control Deliberatio n Council have been also 
combined to create Agricultural and Fish ery Products Quality Control Deliberation 
Committee under the rearrangement scheme of th e government councils. The purpose is to 
strengthen the system to protect the geographical marking rights as well as to secure the safety 
of the fishery products.  
Proposed revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Agricultural and Fishery Products 
Quality Control Act  
Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality Control Deliberation Committee will be 
established and operated effec tively by combining Agricultural Products Quality Control 
Deliberation Committee and Fishery Products Qu ality Control Deliberation council. Decision 
making methods of subcommittee on geographica l indications will be coordinated. When 
deemed necessary for the deliberation, Delib eration Committee may have local governments 
as well as stakeholders and experts attend to listen to their opinions. G/TBT/N/KOR/360 
Page 2  
 
  - In the case of receiving an application fo r registration of a geographical indication or 
 application for change of registration, the period to request the subcommittee for 
 deliberations will be extended from the current within 15 days¯ to within 30 days¯ 
 from the date on which such application is  registered. The peri od to supplement, 
 when unsuitable matters fo r the registration of a geogr aphical indication are found, 
 have been changed to within 30 days. 
- The cycle of invest igation or inspection on the produc tion or processing facilities, 
 etc., conducted to verify im plementation of sanitary mana gement standards or Hazard 
 Analysis and Critical Control Points(HAC CP), will be revised from once every year 
 to once every two years.  
- Non-edible fishery products a nd processed fishery products have been included in the 
 group subject to exclusion of inspection wh en inspecting fishery products for export, 
 so that only necessary parts of the prod ucts get inspected ex cept some unnecessary 
 products.  
Proposed Revision of the Enforcement Rule of the Agricultural and Fishery Products 
Quality Control Act (Proposition) 
- Enactment, revision, abolishment, or notification of standards for agricultural 
 products and fishery products has been integrated. 
- In relation to improvem ent of Good Agricultural Practices(GAP) system. 
- Small facilities that are run by GAP-cer tified farms are also  recognized as GAP 
 facilities so that the farms can autono mously carry out post-harvest management. 
- To improve indication met hods of GAP-certified produc ts, certification indication 
 can now be posted on each agricultural pr oduct, specification of transaction or 
 invoice all at the same time  
- The period to process an application for designation of GAP-certifying bodies will be 
 adjusted to within 3 months. 
- New provisions have been established to re port a change in designation contents of 
 fishery products quality certification agency. Regulations have been made to provide 
 a ground to reissue certification of enviro nmentally friendly fishery products when it 
 is lost. 
- Geographical indications of the agricultur al products and fishery products have been 
 integrated. Geographical indications ledger  writing has been added according to the 
 newly established pr ovisions of the Act. 
- Genetically modified agricultural products and fishery products ha ve been integrated. 
 For instance, fishery products  have been included into the regular collection or 
 examination of genetically modified  agricultural produ cts indication.  
- Agricultural products and fish ery products have been integr ated for safety inspection. 
 Standards for target items or regions of the safety inspection have been changed. 
- Korea Rural Community Cor poration and Agricultural Rese arch & Extension Service 
 of City/Province have been added to sa fety assessment institutions list, besides  G/TBT/N/KOR/360 
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   National Agricultural Products Quality Ma nagement Service and Research Institute 
 of Public Health & Environment of metropolitan city governments. 
- Provisions on designation of the agricultural inspection institutions have been 
 changed and provisions on qualification can cellation of the inspectors have been 
 newly established. A case where an insp ection is deemed necessary due to MOU, 
 etc. in the privat e sectors between Korea and foreig n countries has been added to 
 the list of fishery products subject to inspection. 
- Non-edible fishery products or processed fishery products included in the list of 
 fishery products subject to exclusion of inspection can skip organoleptic examination 
 or close examination if self-conducted qua lity management document is submitted. 
- In accordance with the Act, fee impositio n targets has been expanded to geographical 
 indication registration application, sa fety inspection institution application, 
 agricultural and fishery products inspecti on application, and agricultural and fishery 
 products examination application. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Agricultural Products Quality Control Act and Fishery Products Quality Control Act, which 
share similar functions, have be en integrated in conformity with rearrangement measure of 
subordinate legislations af ter government reorganization.  
8. Relevant documents:    
Korean Official Government Gazette , No 17555, published on 21 July 2011. 
(http://www.gwanbo.korea.kr, available in Korean).  
Notification N0. 2012-94, Enfor cement Decree of the Agricu ltural and Fishery Products 
Quality Control Act.  
Notification N0. 2012-95, Enforcement Rule of th e Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality 
Control Act. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
 
 
 
 
Proposed date of entry into force:    21 July 2011 (Agricultural and Fishery  
Products Quality Control Act) 22 July 2012 (Enforcement Decree of the Agricultural and 
Fishery  Products Quality Control Act, 
Enforcement Rule of the Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality Control Act) 
 
22 July 2012 (Agricultural and Fishery  Products Quality Control Act) 22 July 
2012(Enforcement Decree of the Agricultural 
and Fishery Products Quality Control Act, Enforcement Rule of the Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality Control Act)  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days after the date of notification G/TBT/N/KOR/360 
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  11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, if available of the other body:    
Food Safety & Consumer Af fairs Policy Division 
Ministry for Food, Agricultur e, Forestry and Fisheries 
47, Gwanmun-ro, Gwacheon-si Gyeonggi-do, 427-719 
Republic of Korea 
Tel.:  +(82) 2 500 2091 Fax:  +(82) 2 503 7277 Email:  iskim5608@korea.kr  
http://members.wto.org/crna ttachments/2012/tbt/KOR/12_1247_00_x.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crna ttachments/2012/tbt/KOR/12_1247_01_x.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crna ttachments/2012/tbt/KOR/12_1247_02_x.pdf