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.kr Domain: South Korea ccTLD Guide

Updated October 2026

.kr is the country-code top-level domain for South Korea.

Overview

South Korean companies, organisations and individuals use it, mostly under .co.kr, for sites aimed at the Korean market.

The .kr domain was introduced on 29 September 1986. It is operated by KRNIC, which sits within the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the body that sets the Rules on Domain Name Registration and Management. Registrations are handled through registration agents.

Standard names are registered at the third level beneath second-level labels. Examples are .co.kr for companies, .or.kr for non-profits, .ne.kr for network providers, .ac.kr for universities, .go.kr for government, .pe.kr for individuals and regional labels such as .seoul.kr, which require a connection to the area.

Direct registration under .kr opened in September 2006 for internationalised names only, with general first-come, first-served registration from 19 April 2007. Names in Hangul can be registered at the second level. The registry reported 1,080,682 domains on 31 May 2024.

Where a foreign company uses a trustee, the local agent becomes the registrant of record while the client controls the DNS; this arrangement is not available for .or.kr. A separate Hangul top-level domain, .한국, became active in 2011. Identity verification for .kr was tightened in 2024.

Who can register

Registrants need a verified postal address in South Korea; companies use a Korean business registration number, and citizens and foreign residents authenticate with national ID or mobile verification. Foreign firms without a Korean presence generally cannot register directly and usually go through a registrar's local trustee service.

Second-level endings: Mostly under .co.kr, .or.kr, .ne.kr, .pe.kr, .go.kr.

Before you buy a .kr name

• Check the renewal price as well as the first-year price. Our cost calculator shows what a name really costs over time.
• Make sure you meet the eligibility rules yourself, without relying on a trustee if you can avoid it.
• Search for trademarks and for the same name in .com.
• Say the name out loud: will people type it correctly?

Weighing up a specific .kr name? TLD.is gives an AI appraisal that explains a name's strengths and weaknesses.

Frequently asked questions

What country is .kr?

.kr is the country-code top-level domain for South Korea.

Who runs the .kr domain?

The .kr registry is managed by KRNIC (Korea Internet & Security Agency, KISA).

Can I register a .kr domain from another country?

Registrants need a verified postal address in South Korea; companies use a Korean business registration number, and citizens and foreign residents authenticate with national ID or mobile verification. Foreign firms without a Korean presence generally cannot register directly and usually go through a registrar's local trustee service.

Does Google treat .kr as a country domain?

Yes. Google normally treats .kr as a signal that a site targets South Korea.

Compare and explore

Compare .kr side by side with other extensions, or browse more in Asia:

Sources checked: en.wikipedia.org · www.nominus.com. Last reviewed October 2026.

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