WTO Circulates Notification from South Korea on Proposed Amendments to Evaluation of Food and Drug Testing and Inspection Agencies

"On September 18, 2025, the WTO circulated a notification from South Korea regarding proposed amendments to the Regulation on Evaluation of Food and Drug Testing and Inspection Agencies. The amendment aims to revise the evaluation criteria used to assess the capabilities of laboratories conducting testing and inspection of hygiene products. This change is in response to the enforcement of the Hygiene Products Management Act (Law No. 19474), effective from 14 June 2025, which expands the scope of hygiene products to include oral care products and tattoo dyes. Key points of the amendment include: i) Revision of evaluation items to align with the updated legal framework, particularly Article 6, Paragraph 4 of the Act. ii) Inclusion of oral care products and tattoo dyes in the hygiene product category, requiring relevant testing and inspection institutions to meet updated evaluation criteria (Annex 1). iii) Amendments to the list of items subject to testing and inspection now include: -Detergents, rinse aids, sanitary paper towels, and other hygiene products -Oral care productsTattoo dyes -Hygienic towels and related products Final date for comment is November 17, 2025."