KOREA ROHS FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON KOREA ROHS / WEEE / ELV

Q1.  What does it mean by “Electrical and electronic equipments” and what kinds of products are included in the category? How can a company make a clear judgment on if its products are regarded as “Electrical and Electronic Equipment”?

A1.  ”Electrical and Electronic Equipment” means equipment or device (including components and parts thereto) operated by electric currents or electromagnetic fields. For only electrical and electronic products, the product scope of Korea RoHS is identical to the of existing environmental regulation, Extended Producer Responsibility. The list of applied products is indicated on Article 6 in Enforcement Ordinance of the Act. Therefore you can identify whether the products your company produces come under “Electrical and electronic Equipment” or not referring to the list.

Q2.  Are there exceptions in Korea RoHS / WEEE / ELV as in EU RoHS and ELV?

A2. Yes. Materials and parts exempted from the concentration limits of hazardous substance are listed on Annex 2 in Enforcement Ordinance, and the exceptions are expected to be similarly applied with EU RoHS.

Q3.  Are medical devices in scope?

A3.  Korea RoHS does not cover medical products yet. But they can be covered in the future as EPR scope is extended. Therefore, continuous monitoring is needed.

Q4.  Are batteries in scope?

A4.  No, they are not. Regulations regarding batteries are covered in Quality Management and Safety Control of Industrial Products Act.

Q5.  Is Korea RoHS a regulation for final products as EU RoHS is? What about products or components provided by supply chains?

A5.  In principle, EU RoHS covers final products. However, supply chains are required to comply with certain provisions regarding components they supply, which is applied to Korea RoHS as well.

Q6.  Which substances are restricted for use? Are homogeneous materials supposed to be analyzed?

A6. Korea RoHS bans the placing on the Korean market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated bipheny1 (PBB) and polybrominated dipheny1 ether (PBDE) flame retardants. In case of vehicles, use of four major heavy metals, lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and cadmium is restricted. The level of regulated concentration indicated in Enforcement Ordinance, Annex 1 is identical to that of EU RoHS and ELV.

Q7.  Is use of hazardous substances in packing materials restricted?

A7.  Korea RoHS does not cover regulations on packing materials. There is a separate law regulating use of packing materials in Korea.

Q8.  When is the enforcement date?

A8.  Korea RoHS will come into effect from January 1, 2008.

Information Source: Ecofrontier Korea RoHS/ELV website
Detailed information refer to Korean RoHS FAQ.
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