Inappropriate recycling/disposal processes that are caused by the illegal transboundary movement of electronic wastes (e-wastes) can have harmful effects on the environment and public health because of these wastes’ harmful components. Therefore, we must understand the current situation regarding the domestic management of exported/imported e-wastes and examine the international requirements according to the Basel Convention. In this study, the current management situation of e-wastes in domestic and foreign countries and the present recycling processes of companies in Korea are investigated to draw improvements when e-wastes are exported or imported. Most imported e-waste involves waste printed circuit boards (WPCB) and their scraps (more than 95.7 % of the total e-waste volume in 2015) to recover precious metals such as copper, silver, gold, etc. To distinguish between waste and non-waste under the Basel Convention, six items (① market for used electronic and electrical equipment (UEEE), ② residual life and appearance, ③ functional tests, ④ evidence of UEEE deals, ⑤ evidence of contracts to a trade partner, and ⑥ packaging and loading conditions) and a decision flowchart are considered to classify whether the end-of-life equipment is waste.

To improve the management of the transboundary movement of waste, the management system for the transboundary movement of hazardous waste in both Korea (Republic of) and other foreign countries was reviewed. It was found that, for the improvement in the listed waste, the revision of the HSK code for waste and the strategy for international situation should be considered in Korea. The listed waste in Korea was found to be lacking the detailed classification to accommodate the listed waste of Basel Convention. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the listed waste in Korea in accordance with the listed waste of the Basel Convention. The HSK code for waste should be revised to identify the different type of items between a new item and a used item. Hence, it is necessary to subdivide the HSK code for used goods and wastes. Each country has amended its laws and management systems for securing resources globally and for protecting the environment in its own country. Finally, the strategy for the international situation should be intensified in the management of transboundary movement because the prohibited wastes in transboundary movement were suddenly expanded in China.