Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy implements revised strategic materials export-import notice

Over 80 amendments from four major international export control regimes incorporated

Semiconductors. [Getty Images]
Semiconductors. [Getty Images]

Exporters of advanced dual-use items — including semiconductor manufacturing equipment — will need approval from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, in line with policies adopted by major countries such as the United States and EU members.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday it is implementing a revised notice governing the export and import of strategic materials.

The revision incorporates more than 80 amendments decided by four major international export control regimes — the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group, the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime — to strengthen multilateral export control cooperation.

The four regimes are multilateral intergovernmental bodies established to control exports of weapons of mass destruction — including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons — as well as missiles, conventional arms, and strategic materials that could be used in their development, manufacturing or deployment. Member countries, including South Korea, operate their export control systems by incorporating into domestic law the items that each regime agrees annually require controls.

In recent years, global attention to "dual-use" items — those with both industrial and military applications — has grown sharply, driving an expansion of international export control cooperation targeting advanced industries such as semiconductors and biotech.

Through this revision, South Korea is adding to its strategic materials list advanced dual-use items that the United States, EU, Japan and other major countries already subject to export controls, including high-performance integrated circuits for AI and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Anyone seeking to export such strategic materials from Tuesday onward must obtain an export license from the ministry.

The revision also removes the "exporter pledge" from the list of required documents for strategic materials export license applications, and clarifies terminology across various forms and documents while providing more detailed guidance on how to complete them, reducing the administrative burden on exporters.

Reflecting feedback from exporting companies, the ministry has also overhauled a range of official forms, including the strategic materials classification application, the comprehensive export license application, the end-user certificate, the import purpose confirmation application and the final consignee statement.

The ministry said it plans to actively support companies in understanding and complying with the export control system. It will brief industry associations on the changes and continue to provide consulting services through an export control help desk at the Korea Institute for Trade and Security.


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