Korean standards and regulations

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

In South Korea, the Plant Protection Act stipulates that ``those who intend to import plants and the containers and packaging used to store them must submit a phytosanitary certificate.'' (Plant Quarantine Act) Section 2 Import Quarantine Article 8 Plant Quarantine Certificate, etc.)

Article 10 of the Plant Protection Act Enforcement Regulations states that cases in which it is not necessary to attach a quarantine certificate include ``when importing wood or bamboo materials.'' In addition, "processed items" are defined as items that are not subject to plant quarantine, and laminated wood and plywood are products manufactured through heat treatment or chemical treatment, and are therefore not subject to plant quarantine.
Article 10 of the Plant Quarantine Act stipulates that plants, etc. that pose a risk of pests and diseases are prohibited from import. Item 15 of the prohibited import plants specified in Attached Table 1 stipulates "saplings and timber of the genus Pinus and larch (target countries including Japan)", so Japanese pines and larch are This corresponds to a prohibited item for import.
Regarding the import of prohibited items, if they correspond to processed items <sup>*</sup> , you can apply for phytosanitary inspection by submitting Form No. 4 of the Plant Protection Act Enforcement Regulations, ``Import Declaration and Quarantine Application for Phytosanitary Items''. You can do. In addition, the following documents must be submitted.

• Phytosanitary certificate of the exporting country (Does not need to be submitted in the case of wood. However, it is required when importing prohibited items after undergoing specified processing/treatment. (See "Required procedures for import") (See “2. Import prohibited plants”)
• Import permit certificate (attach only if it is a prohibited item)
• Attached Form No. 5 Specification of plants subject to import quarantine (only if there are two or more items)

After applying, you will need to respond to requests from plant quarantine officers to submit related documents such as processing steps. After on-site inspection at the Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters (Plant Quarantine Station) and precise quarantine at the laboratory, a certificate will be issued if the product passes.

*"Processed items" are products that have been processed to such an extent that pests cannot inhabit or harbor them, and you can check the details from "Examples of processed products".

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

Article 10 of the Plant Quarantine Act stipulates that plants, etc. that pose a risk of pests and diseases are prohibited from import. Item 15 of the prohibited import plants specified in Attached Table 1 stipulates "saplings and timber of the genus Pinus and larch (target countries including Japan)", so Japanese pines and larch are This corresponds to a prohibited item for import.
Regarding the import of prohibited items, if they correspond to processed items ^* , you can apply for phytosanitary inspection by submitting Form No. 4 of the Plant Protection Act Enforcement Regulations, ``Import Declaration and Quarantine Application for Phytosanitary Items''. You can do. In addition, the following documents must be submitted.

• Phytosanitary certificate of the exporting country (Does not need to be submitted in the case of wood. However, it is required when importing prohibited items after undergoing specified processing/treatment. (See "Required procedures for import") (See “2. Import prohibited plants”)
• Import permit certificate (attach only if it is a prohibited item)
• Attached Form No. 5 Specification of plants subject to import quarantine (only if there are two or more items)

After applying, you will need to respond to requests from plant quarantine officers to submit related documents such as processing steps. After on-site inspection at the Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters (Plant Quarantine Station) and precise quarantine at the laboratory, a certificate will be issued if the product passes.

*"Processed items" are products that have been processed to such an extent that pests cannot inhabit or harbor them, and you can check the details from "Examples of processed products".

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

According to Article 19-2 of the Act on Sustainable Utilization of Timber, importers must make an import declaration to the Director of the Forestry Agency when importing timber or timber products for the purpose of sale or business use. It is stipulated that it must be done.
The Director-General of the Forestry Agency is required to inspect the documents that prove that the timber or timber products were legally harvested before the customs clearance procedures are completed for the timber or timber products that have been declared for import. For document inspection, one of the following is required.

1. Logging permit issued according to the laws and regulations of the country of origin
2. A document specified and announced by the Director-General of the Forestry Agency as internationally accepted for certifying legally harvested timber or timber products.
3. A document determined and announced by the Director-General of the Forestry Service as mutually recognized through consultation between Korea and the country of origin.
4. Other documents specified and announced by the Director of the Forestry Agency as proof of legal logging.

After applying, you will need to respond to a request from a plant quarantine officer to submit related documents such as processing steps. After on-site inspection at the Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters (Plant Quarantine Station) and precise quarantine at the laboratory, a certificate will be issued if the product passes.

*"Processed items" are products that have been processed to such an extent that pests cannot inhabit or harbor them, and you can check the details from "Examples of processed products".

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

According to Article 19-2 of the Act on Sustainable Utilization of Timber, importers must make an import declaration to the Director of the Forestry Agency when importing timber or timber products for the purpose of sale or business use. It is stipulated that it must be done.

Importers must also obtain documentation certifying the legality of the timber or timber products they import.
The importer must attach one of the documents specified in the "Detailed Criteria for Determining Legal Logging of Imported Timber/Wood Products" through UNI-PASS, South Korea's electronic customs clearance system. An import declaration must be submitted to the Director-General of the Forestry Agency.
If the results of the document inspection are appropriate, the Director-General of the Forestry Agency will issue an import declaration certificate. Based on the Customs Law, importers are required to submit a customs declaration form containing the above documents to the Director of Customs and carry out customs clearance procedures.
Pursuant to the second half of Article 19-3 of the Act on the Sustainable Use of Timber, if a report is received for timber or timber products that cannot be proven to have been legally harvested, the report shall be filed within 30 days after completion of customs clearance. Supporting documentation must be submitted. In this case, the sale and transportation of the product is prohibited until a confirmation certificate is issued.

[Documents required for import declaration]

• import declaration form
• Invoice
• packing list
• bill of lading
• certificate of origin
• Quarantine certificate (if required)
• Others (legal wood certification documents)

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

According to Article 20 of the "Law on Sustainable Utilization of Timber," if an importer or producer of wood products intends to sell or distribute wood products for which specifications and quality standards have been announced, the following must be met. It is stipulated that a person who falls under one of the following items must conduct a standard/quality inspection in advance and confirm by himself/herself that the wood product in question conforms to the standards/quality standards. For details on the published specifications and quality standards, please refer to the "Standards and Quality Standards for Wood Products" published by the National Institute of Forestry Sciences.

Government-designated institutions are 1 to 5 below.

1. Korea Forestry Promotion Agency
2. An organization designated and notified by the Director of the Forestry Agency from among universities, research institutes, and related organizations that have the necessary requirements to carry out standards and quality inspection work for wood products ^.*
3. Among the inspection agencies officially recognized by the government of the exporting country for imported wood products, a foreign agency recognized and notified by the Director-General of the Forestry Agency.
4. A factory designated by the Director of the Forestry Agency (self-test factory) as a factory of a manufacturer of wood products that meets the requirements to independently conduct standard and quality inspections.
5. wood grade evaluator

*Currently, the lumber standards and quality inspection agencies designated by the Forestry Agency in its ``Notification of Timber Standards and Quality Inspection Bodies'' include the ``Korea Construction Environment Testing and Research Institute.''

Target items

Wood products such as structural materials for housing

Content

According to the "Building Structural Standards (Ministry of Land, Land, and Maritime Affairs Notification No. 2009-1245)," the types and dimensions required for structural lumber are specified in "KSF 3020 (Softwood Structural Timber)." Although most of the content is the same as ``Lumber'' listed in ``Appendix 1'' of ``Standards and Quality Standards for Wood Products (Notification No. 2019-10) of the National Institute of Forestry Sciences,'' there are some differences.

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

According to Article 19 of the "Law on Sustainable Utilization of Wood," a person who sends application documents and samples to a government-designated agency before customs clearance and who intends to sell, distribute, or store wood products that have been inspected must: It is stipulated that standards and quality inspection results must be displayed in a place where consumers can easily view them.
Wood and wood products that have passed standards and quality inspections and have officially completed import customs clearance can be sold to consumers or other sellers by displaying the inspection results.
In addition, imported goods must be labeled with their country of origin. Details of products subject to country of origin labeling, labeling methods, etc. are stipulated in the "Foreign Trade Law Enforcement Regulations."

Target items

Wood products such as structural materials

Content

The Building Law Enforcement Order stipulates that buildings specified by the following standards must be of fire-resistant construction. Wood, such as structural materials, used in buildings that meet the following standards must be certified as fire-resistant according to the KS standard.

Excerpt from Article 56 Fireproof Structure of Buildings of the Building Law Enforcement Order

1. Type 2 neighborhood living facilities include performance halls and religious gathering halls (limited to cases where the total floor area used for such purposes is 300 square meters or more each), cultural and gathering facilities (excluding exhibition halls and zoological and botanical gardens); Among religious and recreational facilities, buildings used for bar operations and funeral facilities, with a viewing room or assembly room that has a total floor area of 200 square meters or more (1,000 square meters in the case of outdoor seating).
2. Cultural and assembly facilities include exhibition halls or zoological and botanical gardens, sales facilities, transportation facilities, gymnasiums and auditoriums installed in educational and research facilities, training facilities, and sports facilities such as gymnasiums and athletic fields, and entertainment facilities (those used for bar business). ), warehouse facilities, hazardous materials storage and processing facilities, automobile-related facilities, broadcasting stations, telegraph and telephone stations, and photo studios among broadcasting and communication facilities, cremation facilities, animal cremation facilities, and tourist rest facilities among cemetery-related facilities. Buildings used for this purpose, with a total floor area of 500 square meters or more.
3. Buildings used for factory purposes with a total floor area of 2,000 square meters or more. However, this excludes factories designated by Ordinance of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as factories with low risk of fire.
4. The second floor of a building is a detached multi-family dwelling, a multi-family dwelling, an apartment complex, a type 1 neighborhood living facility (limited to facilities used for medical purposes), a type 2 neighborhood living facility, a multi-family facility, Buildings used for medical facilities, children-related facilities and elderly welfare facilities among facilities for the elderly, youth hostels among training facilities, offices/hotels among business facilities, accommodation facilities, or funeral facilities. Buildings with a total floor area of 400 square meters or more.
5. Buildings with three or more floors and buildings with basement floors. However, detached houses (excluding apartment complexes and multifamily housing), animal and plant-related facilities, power generation facilities (excluding facilities used as ancillary to power plants), prisons, prisons exclusively for minors, or cemeteries. Excludes buildings used for facilities (excluding cremation facilities and animal cremation facilities) and factories in the steel-related industry that are expanded with a total area of 50 square meters or less for use as control rooms.

Fireproof construction certification

If the structure specified above is made of wood, the main structural materials must be certified as fire-resistant. For fireproof structure certification, it is necessary to pass quality inspections and quality tests, including inspections at local factories, conducted by the Korea Institute of Construction Technology.

Target items

4407 wood, 4412 plywood, 4413 improved wood (high durability wood)

Content

According to the Customs Law, customs duties are levied on goods including wood and wood products.
According to the "Korea Tariff Schedule," the following tariffs will be levied when importing goods with HS codes 4407, 4412, and 4413.

[Main tariff rates by HS code]

• 4407 : 5％
• 4412 : 8％
• 4413 : 8％

Japan and South Korea have signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) (effective January 1, 2022), and within this framework, goods classified as HS codes 4407 and 4412 are Tariffs imposed on many products from Japan will be reduced in stages.
For details on tariff rates for each HS code, please refer to the related link "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) Articles Annex I".

Content

The ``Law on Sustainable Use of Timber'' requires individuals or corporations that import and sell wood and wood products to ``register as a timber import and distribution business'' with the head of the local government in charge. For details on application documents, etc., please refer to the related link "Enforcement Regulations of the Act on Sustainable Use of Timber."

Content

The "Law on Sustainable Utilization of Wood" requires that when importing wood and wood products, it must be inspected for standards and quality, and the inspection results must be displayed.
Inspections related to standards and quality must be conducted at a designated inspection agency by paying a certain fee. For details on fees, please refer to the related link "Notification of Fees for Safety Evaluation of Wood Products, etc."