. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/KOR/284 
10 June 2008  
 (08-2717) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  REPUBLIC OF KOREA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:     
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF*) 
* MIFAFF was launched on 29 February 2008 by  merging the Ministry of Agriculture and 
Forestry and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numb er(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Aquatic animals 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable :  Any 
trading partners 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Aquatic Animal Diseases 
Control Act (available in Korean, 36 pages) 
6. Description of content:  The National Assembly of the Re public of Korea promulgated the 
aquatic animal diseases cont rol act on 21 December 2007.  Th e Act will enter into force 
within one year from the date of promulgation.   This notification has the intention of the 
MIFAFF to inform the Member countries of the newly introduced measures.  The main 
contents of the Act are as follows:  
1. The aim of the Act is to assure the preventio n of outbreak and spread of aquatic animal 
diseases in Korea. 
2. The way of prevention of aquatic animal diseases is the notification of aquatic animal 
diseases, health surveillance, disinfection or destruction, ri sk analysis and import/export 
quarantine. 
3. The aquatic animal diseases which should be notified to the competent authority are 
RSIV, SVC, iridoviral disease of Rock bream , VNN, VHS, EUS, IP N, Taura syndrome, 
WSSV, YHD and other diseases that are preparing in enforcement regulations. 
4. The confirmed diseases by qualified diagnosti c laboratories would be subject to enforced 
monitoring, surveillance, move ment control or stamping out. 
5. All live aquatic animals (such as fish, molluscs and shrimp) or eggs or gametes have to be 
declared free from listed diseas es for importation into Korea. 
6. National Fisheries Products Quality Inspection Service is the frontier post for international 
trade of live aquatic animals that will be providing quarantine service as well as the preparation of international aqua tic animal health certificate. 
7. The competent authority would issue guidelines of aquatic animal health control every 5 
years. G/SPS/N/KOR/284 
Page 2  
 
   * The Ministry for Food, Agricu lture, Forestry and Fisheries is preparing the Enforcement 
Decree (Presidential Order) a nd Ordinance (Ministerial Order) of the above Act so that the 
related enforcement regul ations will be notified to the member countries in due course.  
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests    
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   To be available in the 
internet homepage of National Assembly ( http://www.assembly.go.kr/index.jsp , available in 
Korean) 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  21 December 2007 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  22 December 2008 
12. Final date for comments:  This notification is simply to inform the Members of the 
legislative action of the National Assembly.  But, any comments c ould be received for 
reference for the MAF within 60 days after notification considering the Annex B of SPS Agreement. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body: 
Aquaculture Industry Division 
Ministry for Food, Agricultur e,  Forestry and Fisheries 
Tel:  +(82) 2 500 2375 
Fax:  +(82) 2 503 9128 
E-mail:  whchoi@mifaff.go.kr 
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notifica tion authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
Aquaculture Industry Division 
Ministry for Food, Agricultur e,  Forestry and Fisheries 
Tel:  +(82) 2 500 2375 
Fax:  +(82) 2 503 9128 
E-mail:  whchoi@mifaff.go.kr