The present paper reviews the notion and comparison of the Korea Food and Drug Administration(KFDA) general pharmacology and the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) safety pharmacology. General pharmacology or safety pharmacology is termed the study to determine the potential of a compound to induce adverse pharmacological effects. KFDA general pharmacology studies have been considered an important component in drug safety assessment and these were originally referred to those designed to examine effects other than the primary therapeutics effect of a drug candidate. The KFDA notified the Guideline for General Pharmacology in 1997. Safety pharmacology studies were focused on identifying adverse effects on physiological functions. In the ICH came into place S7A Safety Pharmacology Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals in 2001. A new chemical entity should be assessed for its side effects, initially in those physiological systems which are generally agreed to be the key systems that are essential for life; these "core system" include the central nervous system, cardiovascular system and respiratory system in safety pharmacology studies. These studies should be performed in compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP).