. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/KOR/181 
14 April 2005 
 (05-1555) 
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 of Health and Welfare 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Food, food additives, apparatus, packag ing and containers for food (food etc.) 
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:   Proposed Draft 
Amendment of Enforcement Decree and Enfo rcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act 
(available in Korean). 
6. Description of content:  Revision of the Enforcement Decr ee and the Enforcement Rule of 
the Food Sanitation Act: 
- Relaxing of the current requirement for imported food products to receive regular 
mandatory laboratory inspections at certain intervals.  Thus importation of the food 
products exempted from the mandatory lab in spection requirement will be allowed on 
the basis of documents inspection and/or organoleptic inspection.  
- Relaxing of inspection requirements for food etc. which have been found to be 
acceptable in the course of inspections over a certain period of time and recognized 
safe by the Commissioner of the Korea Food and Drug Administration.  Such products 
may be tested by means of document inspection alone.  
- Food etc. that are found to be unacceptable as a result of import inspection and entry 
inspection during distribution will be requi red to receive mandatory lab inspection 
5 times.  
- The importer who violates the Food Sanitation Act by attaching false or forged 
documents will be required to receive mandatory lab inspection for one year.  
- Those imported food products that have alre ady passed the laboratory inspections will 
be required to receive additional laborat ory inspections only for standards and 
specifications that have been strengthene d, newly introduced, and/or amended. 
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/181 
Page 2  
 
 8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [ X ] 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:  MOHW Public 
Notification 2005-54 (31 March 2005), 2005-60 (9  April 2005) published in the Korean 
Official Gazette (available in Korean). 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   To be determined. 
12. Final date for comments:  15 June 2005 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
Food Policy Division 
Ministry of Health and Welfare 1 Jungang-Dong, Kwacheon-City, Kyoungi-Do, 427-760 The Republic of Korea Tel: +82-2-504-6233 
Fax: +82-2-503-7552 
E-mail: tag1@mohw.go.kr 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
Food Policy Division 
Ministry of Health and Welfare 
1 Jungang-Dong, Kwacheon-City, Kyoungi-Do, 427-760 
The Republic of Korea Tel: +82-2-504-6233 Fax: +82-2-503-7552 E-mail: tag1@mohw.go.kr