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Before you sell in Korea: the law

This page is not legal advice. It is a reading of the statute text, which we hold in full, with the articles named so that your lawyer can check them quickly. Two laws matter for a seller: the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (전자상거래법) and the Personal Information Protection Act (개인정보 보호법). A third item is a new article that starts on 21 January 2027 and is aimed squarely at businesses without a Korean address.

Published 2026-09-11Updated 2026-09-11Evidence: A statute text5 min read

1. Register as a mail-order business, or confirm you are exempt

Article 12 of the E-Commerce Act requires a mail-order business (통신판매업) to file with the local district office or the Fair Trade Commission. The filing includes your domain name and the location of your host server, so you must have both before you file. Two exemptions exist, set by an FTC notice. A

FTC notice on mail-order registration exemptions, Article 2 (in force 5 April 2022) 1. 직전년도 동안 통신판매의 거래횟수가 50회 미만인 경우 2. 「부가가치세법」 제2조제4호의 간이과세자인 경우
Our rendering: "1. Fewer than 50 mail-order transactions in the previous year. 2. A simplified-taxation business under the VAT Act."

Cancelled and returned orders do not count toward the 50. Filing itself is free and takes three days. Not filing when required is a criminal fine of up to 30 million won (Article 42), not an administrative one. Changes must be filed within 15 days and closures in advance.

2. Six disclosures on the shop itself

E-Commerce Act, Article 10(1) (in force 21 July 2026) 1. 상호 및 대표자 성명 2. 영업소가 있는 곳의 주소(소비자의 불만을 처리할 수 있는 곳의 주소를 포함한다) 3. 전화번호ㆍ전자우편주소 4. 사업자등록번호 5. 사이버몰의 이용약관 6. 그 밖에 소비자보호를 위하여 필요한 사항으로서 대통령령으로 정하는 사항
Our rendering: "1. Trade name and representative's name. 2. Address of the place of business, including where complaints are handled. 3. Phone number and e-mail address. 4. Business registration number. 5. The shop's terms of use. 6. Other matters set by decree."

The registration number is not in this list. It belongs in advertisements, under Article 13, together with the trade name, representative, address, phone, e-mail and the name of the office that accepted the filing. An Instagram post that invites orders counts as such an advertisement even if you have no website.

3. The seven-day withdrawal right

Consumers may withdraw within seven days of receiving goods (Article 17). The clock starts only when you have sent the written contract details, which may be an e-mail or text message. If you do not send it, the period never starts. Where goods differ from the advertisement, the consumer has three months from delivery or 30 days from discovery.

4. A privacy policy on the site, in Korean law's terms

Collecting a single name and phone number makes you a personal-information controller under the Personal Information Protection Act. There is no size threshold. You must publish a privacy policy on the website itself; a notice in the shop does not substitute. A

Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act, Article 31(2) ② 개인정보처리자는 법 제30조제2항에 따라 수립하거나 변경한 개인정보 처리방침을 개인정보처리자의 인터넷 홈페이지에 지속적으로 게재하여야 한다.
Our rendering: "A controller shall continuously post its privacy policy on its website."

Two further points. If a policy promises more than your contract does, the policy wins for the consumer (Act, Article 30(3)). And when data leaks, affected people must be notified within 72 hours; reporting to the authority is required in three cases, including 1,000 or more people affected. A 2026 amendment in force from 11 September 2026 adds a duty to notify when a leak is merely likely; the decree defining "likely" was not yet available when we checked.

5. From 21 January 2027: a domestic agent

A new Article 20-5 of the E-Commerce Act takes effect on 21 January 2027. It applies to mail-order businesses and intermediaries with no address or place of business in Korea, above thresholds of revenue and consumer numbers to be set by decree. A

E-Commerce Act, Article 20-5(1) (in force 21 January 2027) 국내에 주소 또는 영업소가 없는 통신판매업자 또는 통신판매중개자(이하 “통신판매업자등”이라 한다)로서 매출액, 소비자 규모 등을 고려하여 대통령령으로 정하는 기준에 해당하는 자는 다음 각 호의 구분에 따른 사항을 대리하는 자(이하 “국내대리인”이라 한다)를 서면으로 지정하여야 한다.
Our rendering: "A mail-order business or intermediary with no address or place of business in Korea, meeting thresholds of revenue and consumer scale set by decree, shall designate in writing a domestic agent to act on the matters listed."

The agent must have a Korean address. If you already have a Korean subsidiary, or a Korean company you control, the agent must be chosen from among them (paragraph 2). The agent's name, address, phone and e-mail must be filed with the FTC and published on your website (paragraph 3). The thresholds were not published in the decree we hold, so we cannot say which foreign sellers are caught. If your Korean sales are meaningful, plan for it.

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