Registering Korean Domain Names for English-Speaking Clients

Nightmare!

[jeremymgp]

Hi,

I need to register a Korean domain name for an English-speaking client and it's proving particularly tricky. Thanks to WW I've found speednames.com which lets me register co.th, co.jp and co.cn, but co.kr is not supported.

This is because in order to register a Korean domain name you need to be in Korea and have a Korean ID number, which usually means you have to be a Korean citizen or married to one like I am. I can register Korean domain names, but thanks to the ID number they are tied to a Korean's name and it seems near impossible to have the Korean domain name registered to my non-Korean, English-speaking client.

What should I do?
1. Buy the Korean domain myself and be responsible for managing it for my client. This isn't good because they want the domain and I don't want longterm hassle.
2. Register through a third-party - help and suggestions please!
3. Don't use a co.kr domain for my client's Korean-translated website, just get a .com. This isn't good either as the search engines won't pick it up.
4. Another solution I haven't thought of.

This is kinda urgent, so many thanks for your help,

Jeremy

[bill]

From what I've read the .kr domains are restricted to residents of Korea. This would mean that your client would have to have a local representative office for this to work. I don't know whether they'd be able to register something like this even through a third party unless they met the requirements.

Why do you think a .com site won't be picked up by the search engines? They'll pick it up just fine. As long as you have the content in Korean and the proper encoding is done you shouldn't have too many problems.

[jeremymgp]

Hi,

Thx for your reply. I was wanting the .kr domain because of all the keyword domain names that are still possible with the .kr extension. What do you think? Just go with a .com name or is it worth hanging in for andEnglish keyword domain name with a co.kr extension?

Thanks for your help,

Jeremy

[Woz]

The same situation applies here in Australia where Domains can only be linked to Legal Australia Business Entities. Of course for Australians this is not too much of a challenge, but for companies/individuals overseas it creates obstacles.

The challenge for you is whether to tie your spouses ID to a third party or not, a situation about which I would think very carefully. Effectively you are creating a legal link between you/spouse, and the business relations and legal standings of said third party. Hopefully nothing would go wrong. But if something does go wrong ...

Were I in your shoes I would be protecting my Wife's Identity at all costs, and separating any potential business liabilities from personal lives.

I am not up to date with all the legal requirements of the Korean Domain Name system. Can Korean domains be linked to a business entity rather than a personal ID number? If so, perhaps your client could look into registering a business office in Korea and then use that to gain access to domains.

Failing that, I would scout around for the best .com you can find and go from there. You could then also look at hosting in Korea which may satisfy certain directory requirements.

Onya
Woz

[bill]

Most of the .kr info I've found in English seems to indicate that even if your client met the requirements the prices don't seem cheap. I was seeing US$400/2yr. registrations for third level names:
.co.kr
.ac.kr
.go.kr
.or.kr
.re.kr
.pe.kr
.ne.kr

I don't know if Korean names are as strict as Japan names...but I know that in Japan to qualify for a .co.jp domain you have to have your company officially registered and be able to show bank records, incorporation documents, and a whole lot more. It's no small deal to apply for one of these. Plus each company is limited to one, and only one, .co.jp name. That's why there are still tons of keyword rich .co.jp names left. It's virtually impossible to register them unless you incorporate a company with the keywords in the company name.

Where are our Korea-based WebmasterWorld members when you need them? ;)

[itisgene]

Hello,

I think I can help you with this a little bit because I have some experience with Korean Web domains(in fact I am Korean ;))

1. If you live in Korea now, it is one of the solutions.

2. Through third party, you will still have ownership problem. If your client doesn't have office in Korea and wants to sell something in Korea, they need a third party for physical address with Business License number(for Tax purpose).

3. .com domain works perfect in Korea. Many large size sites have .com name. if it is just a translation, just use .com and create Korean web pages. Make sure you use the correct meta tags for the language.

4. If they want to sell anything (including s/w), they need to submit an application for ecommerce business permit to local gov office. Otherwise it is illegal to sell online. If it is just translated info site, .com with translated page should work fine.

Good luck.

[edited by: itisgene at 9:04 pm (utc) on Mar. 26, 2004]

[itisgene]

Oh, one more thing.
To register .co.kr domain(commercial), you need a business license number. Without it, you can only register pe.kr(personal domain).