Government to Shorten Paint Import Procedures and Cut Packaging Production Times

According to The Financial News, the government will apply special exemptions to paint import regulations to significantly shorten the time required for imports. It also plans to ease labeling rules for packaging materials, thereby reducing manufacturing lead times.
At the joint session of the State Council of South Korea and the Emergency Economic Review Meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on the 6th, Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol said, "Normally, when registering chemical substances used in paint, companies must submit toxicity test data, but we will allow them to submit only test plans instead, so that we can drastically shorten the time needed for imports."
As the situation in the Middle East drags on, concerns are growing over the supply of naphtha-based products such as paint. In response, the government has designated construction materials, paint, packaging materials, and agricultural film as items considered at risk and is placing them under intensive management.
For construction materials, the Emergency Economic Task Force on Construction Materials has been activated, and routine road paving and maintenance schedules will be adjusted. The government is also managing inventories of packaging materials, which are a major source of concern in the market. In particular, it plans to prioritize the supply of naphtha for infusion-solution packaging materials to increase their supply.
In the past, meeting labeling specifications for packaging materials, such as printing with ink, took considerable time. Going forward, the government plans to allow the use of stickers instead, which will shorten manufacturing periods. It also intends to introduce a fast-track review process for changes to pharmaceutical packaging. The nationwide stock of volume-based waste disposal bags is estimated to be sufficient for about three months.
For agricultural film, the government will actively respond by coordinating supply volumes through the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) and by operating on-site inspection teams, which have been in place since the 3rd. For medical devices and essential medical supplies, it plans to allocate naphtha on a priority basis and respond proactively.
The government also plans to focus on countering fake news. Koo Yun-cheol stated, "Claims about forced dollar sales and foreign exchange restrictions on the four major commercial banks are fake news," adding, "The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) has already taken strict and decisive measures, including filing criminal complaints. I urge the public not to be overly anxious about such fake news."

syj@fnnews.com Seo Young-jun Reporter