[Exclusive] Bottled Water Consumed by 30% of the Population, Regulation Eased After 27 Years

Regulation on "general bacterial colonies" in spring water maintained since 1998
To be rationalized within limits that do not harm public health
Excellent companies to be selected and granted planned import benefits
Imported bottled water companies can save billions in logistics costs
Unified certification system, real-time monitoring of water intake well levels

The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Regulations on bottled water consumed by 30% of the population will be eased for the first time in 27 years. Unreasonable water quality safety standards will be revised, and preferential planned import benefits will be granted to excellent companies. Safety certification will manage all stages from water intake to distribution as a single system.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 13th, the Ministry of Environment will announce the "Advanced Management Strategy for Drinking Water" as early as this month. "Drinking water" refers to water manufactured to allow consumption of naturally clean spring water such as groundwater or fountain water. Bottled water sold in PET bottles is also classified as drinking water.

The strategy includes easing water quality safety standards. According to the "Regulations on Water Quality Standards and Inspections for Drinking Water," bottled water allows up to 100 general bacterial colonies per 1mL. However, for spring water used to produce bottled water, the number of general bacterial colonies must not exceed 5 to 20 per 1mL. This means that spring water, which is not consumed directly, is regulated up to 20 times more strictly than the bottled water consumed by consumers.

The bottled water industry complains that the spring water safety standards, revised in 1998, have persisted for 27 years, resulting in absurd regulations. It concludes that spring water is unsafe, but bottled water made from that spring water is safe. Some companies have been suspended from business for violating spring water regulations despite selling legitimate bottled water. The Ministry of Environment plans to adjust spring water safety standards to the level of bottled water to eliminate these irrationalities.

A government official said, "There have been many opinions that spring water regulations are excessive," and added, "The Ministry of Environment will organize the spring water system through this measure and show how related regulations will be operated in the future."

Granting Planned Import Privileges... Unified Certification System

Additionally, among bottled water companies, excellent companies will be selected and granted privileges under the planned import system. Planned import is a kind of "fast track" that exempts certain companies from notification inspections for foods they continuously import. Bottled water companies store products in port warehouses while inspections are conducted, and due to the large volume, they incur huge storage costs. Using the planned import system exempts inspections, allowing companies to save tens of billions of won in storage costs.

However, the criteria for excellent companies require further discussion. To select excellent companies, factors such as inspection authorities and the scope of recognized import performance must be considered. If the criteria are set too strictly, large bottled water companies are likely to monopolize the excellent company status. The Ministry of Environment plans to additionally listen to opinions from small and medium-sized enterprises so that small businesses can also reasonably enjoy planned import benefits.

To ensure that the public can safely drink bottled water even with eased regulations, a unified certification system will be reintroduced after 18 years. Currently, bottled water companies must comply with different standards at each stage such as water intake, purification, and distribution. This causes inefficiency as both companies and the government find it cumbersome, and consumers find it difficult to verify which bottled water is safe. Therefore, the plan is to manage safety certification as a single system from the initial stage of drawing spring water to just before sale. Although an attempt was made to introduce this in 2007, it was shelved due to opinions that it was premature. This time, it is likely to be implemented starting with willing companies and gradually made mandatory.

The "water intake well level," which has caused conflicts between local communities and bottled water companies, will be addressed by the Ministry of Environment collecting data from bottled water companies. Under current law, companies must adhere to a daily maximum water intake volume set for each water intake well when producing bottled water. Excessive water withdrawal raises concerns about water shortages, water quality deterioration, and ecosystem damage. If the government receives water intake well levels, it will be possible to monitor the water intake volume of bottled water companies in real time. Bottled water companies can also escape the scrutiny from local communities accusing them of excessive water withdrawal. However, this regulation will be made mandatory from 2028, considering its impact on business activities.