[Legiscope] 4 Household Chemical Product Bills Passed, 4 More Pending... Basic Chemicals, an Industry Where Regulation Becomes Reality

Semiconductor cleaners, battery electrolytes, automotive paints. Regulations dealing with essential materials for core manufacturing processes are passing through the National Assembly. While there are up to 50 laws that have had 10 or more bills proposed in the National Assembly without a single one being passed, the Household Chemical Products Act has seen 3 bills passed successively in just 1 year since the beginning of the 22nd National Assembly. This regulation does not end with the chemical industry. It spreads to the entire manufacturing sector through material procurement costs.

After the humidifier disaster, regulations are moving towards being 'passed'

The 2011 humidifier disinfectant disaster was a watershed moment. The National Assembly enacted and amended the Chemicals Control Act and the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH), and since then, chemical safety regulations have become the most difficult agenda to oppose in the National Assembly. Platform regulations are lobbied by large IT companies, and loan business regulations are hindered by controversies over access rights for people with low credit. However, there are virtually no lawmakers who will vote against "strengthening the safety of household chemical products."

The results are showing in speed. In the 21st National Assembly, 1 committee alternative bill was passed, and in the 22nd National Assembly, in January 2024, March 2025, and December 2025 — 3 bills within 1 year were passed successively. The interval between passages is shortening.

4 pending bills, technical supplements for now — but the net is getting tighter

The 4 pending bills are not regulations on a scale that will shake up the industry. Rep. Lim Ho-seon's bill is about creating new safety standards for substances emitted from combustible air fresheners like candles, and Rep. Kim Sun-kyo's bill is at the level of refining the wording of the chemical substance definition clause. Rep. Park Jeong's bill aims to exclude national heritage preservation treatment agents from the application of the law. Each one is small, but as these technical supplements accumulate, the net of the regulatory system becomes tighter. Considering the previous speed of passage, it is highly likely that these 4 bills will also pass.

Semiconductors, batteries, and automobiles, the indirect firing range of chemical regulations

The direct impact is felt by household chemical product manufacturers. If authorization requirements are strengthened, the cycle for launching new products will lengthen, and if the obligation to disclose ingredients is expanded, the risk of exposing core formulation technologies increases. For small and medium-sized manufacturers, the certification cost itself is a barrier to entry.

However, the cost of chemical regulations does not end within the chemical industry. If the ingredient regulations for semiconductor etchants change, the process designs of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will be altered. If the handling standards for battery electrolytes are strengthened, the procurement costs for LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI will rise. If the authorization requirements for automotive paints change, the painting processes of Hyundai Motor and Kia are affected. The fact that the automotive industry has a regulation ratio of 56.1%, the highest in the manufacturing sector, is also due to this structure — regulations start from the materials and parts stages rather than the finished cars, and move upwards.

The speed of 3 bills being passed in 1 year, and the reality of 4 bills pending. The material costs for semiconductor, battery, and automobile companies are already moving inside the National Assembly.

This article was written based on Legiscope, a legislative tracking engine built by News Epoch.