Korea introduced a ban on the manufacturing, use and import of chrysotile asbestos in 2009. Chrysotile asbestos was mined in Korea between the 1930s to 1990 (approx. 400,000tonnes) however, the vast majority of raw asbestos (2.3 million tonnes) was imported into Korea from Canada.
In 2011, Korea enacted the Asbestos Safety Management Act to protect citizens from harm to their health by asbestos and enable citizens to live in a healthier and more comfortable environment by ensuring the safe management of asbestos.
In 2023, the Korean Government set a deadline on 2027 for the total removal of asbestos materials from the almost 12,000 schools in the country, a scheme that commenced in 2017.