KRNIC

Article 1 (Purpose)

The purpose of these Rules is to prescribe the details of domain name management according to the provisions of Article 13 of the Internet Address Resources Act (hereinafter referred to as "Act").

Article 2 (Definition)

The terms used in these Rules are as follows:

1. The term "domain name registrar" (hereinafter referred to as "registrar") means any of the proxy Internet address managers under Subparagraph 6, Article 2 of the Act selected by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (hereinafter referred to as "KISA") for the purpose of acting as an agent for the partial operations of domain name management;
2. The term "registrant" means any of the persons who have registered domain names with KISA and who are the users of Internet addresses according to the provisions of Subparagraph 2, Article 2 of the Act;
3. The term "applicant" means any of the persons who intend to register domain names;
4. The term "management officer" means a person who has been delegated the authority for domain name management by a registrant.

Article 3 (Scope)

These Rules apply to the management of domain names that use the national code of the Republic of Korea (.kr / .hankuk). <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>

Article 4 (Conditions for Registration)

(1) The applicants and the registrants shall have addresses in the Republic of Korea.
(2) When applying for the registration of a stage 3 kr domain name, an applicant shall meet the eligibility requirements specified in Attached Table 1. <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>

Article 5 (Standards for Registration)

(1) The standards for stage 3 kr domain name registration are as follows: <Amended on Mar. 13, 2006 and Mar. 11, 2011>
- 1. A domain name shall consist of alphabetic letters [A–Z] or [a–z], numerals [0–9], and hyphens [-];
- 2. The length of a domain name shall be at least 2 but not more than 63 letters;
- 3. A domain name shall neither start with a hyphen or "xn--" nor end with a hyphen. <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>
(2) The standards for stage 2 kr domain name registration are as follows: <Amended on Mar. 13, 2006 and Mar. 11, 2011>
- 1. A domain name shall consist of alphabetic letters [A–Z] or [a–z], Hangeul (Korean characters) [complete Hangeul syllables as defined by Unicode], numerals [0–9], and hyphens [-]; <Amended on Aug. 29, 2019>
- 2. The length of a domain name shall be at least 3 but not more than 63 characters: Provided, however, that if Hangeul is included, it shall be at least 2 characters but not more than 17 characters; <Amended on Mar. 13, 2006 and Sep. 7, 2006>
- 3. A domain name shall neither start with a hyphen or "xn--" nor end with a hyphen. <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>
(3) The standards for .hankuk domain name registration are as follows: <Newly established on Mar. 11, 2011>
- 1. A domain name shall consist of a combination of Hangeul characters [completed Hangeul syllables defined by Unicode], alphabetic letters [A–Z] or [a–z], numerals [0–9], and hyphens [-]. <Newly established on Mar. 11, 2011> <Revised on Aug. 29, 2019>
- 2. The length of a domain name shall be at least 3 but not more than 63 letters: Provided, That when Hangeul is included, it shall be at least 1 letter but not more than 17 letters; <Newly established on Mar. 11, 2011><Amended on Aug. 29, 2019>
- 3. A domain name shall neither start with a hyphen or "xn--" nor end with a hyphen. <Newly established on Mar. 11, 2011>
(4) The personally identifiable information and telephone numbers of others under Article 19 of the Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act shall not be registered as a domain name. <Newly established on Aug. 29, 2019>

Article 6 (Obligations of the Registrant)

(1) A registrant shall keep the domain name registration information accurate and updated.
(2) A registrant shall assume responsibility for the selection, registration, and use of a domain name that he or she has selected so that the domain name neither infringes the rights of others nor violates the relevant statutes.

Article 7 (Domain Name Registration by Proxy)

KISA may select a registrar according to the provisions of Paragraph 1, Article 14 of the Act to perform domain name registration-related operations by proxy.

Article 8 (Application)

(1) An applicant shall enter the following in the domain name registration application form prescribed by KISA and submit the application form to KISA through a registrant by using the information and communication network, etc.: <Amended on Jan. 12, 2009 and Aug. 7, 2013>
- 1. Domain name;
- 2. Name of applicant, certificate of registration, registration number, address;
- 3. Name of management officer, telephone number, email address;
- 4. Information of name server;
- 5. Other matters prescribed by KISA and the registrant.
(2) Notwithstanding Paragraph 1, if an applicant is an individual, entry of the certificate of registration and registration number among the items under Subparagraph 2, Paragraph 1 is omitted. In this case, the identity of the applicant can be verified if necessary through alternative means according to Paragraph 2, Article 23-2 of the Act on the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. <Newly established on Aug. 21, 2013> <Amended on Aug. 7, 2013>

Article 9 (Registration)

(1) KISA shall register domain names in its database in order of arrival of the application forms according to the provisions of Article 8. Provided, That when a large number of application forms are expected to arrive at the same time or for the introduction of new domains, KISA may register the domain names using a separate method for public interest, such as to protect the Internet users and prevent conflicts over domain names. <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>
(2) KISA may choose not to register the previously announced domain names for the purpose of ensuring the stable management of domain names and promoting public interest.

Article 10 (Registration Change)

(1) A registrant may apply for change of registration information with KISA through a registrar.
(2) When change of registration information is applied for according to the foregoing paragraph, KISA shall reflect the registration information to its database.
(3) With respect to Paragraph 1, KISA may perform a registrant identity verification through alternative means according to Paragraph 2, Article 13 of the Enforcement Decree of the Internet Address Resources Act. <Newly established on Aug. 21, 2012> <Amended on Aug. 8, 2017>

Article 11 (Registration Cancellation)

(1) KISA may cancel the registration of a domain name falling under any of the following:
- 1. When 30 days have passed from the date when registration information was identified to be false regardless of public holidays; <Amended on Jul. 16, 2015 and Aug. 8, 2017>
- 2. When 30 days have passed from the date when a registrant requested cancellation regardless of public holidays; <Amended on Jul. 16, 2015 and Aug. 8, 2017>
- 3. When the registration service charges under Paragraph 1, Article 13 have not been paid in full until the 30th day from the date when use of a domain name ended regardless of public holidays; <Amended on Jul. 16, 2015 and Aug. 8, 2017>
- 4. When 30 days have passed from the date when nonconformity to the matters set forth in Article 4 or Article 5 was identified regardless of public holidays. <Amended on Jul. 16, 2015 and Aug. 8, 2017>
(2) When a domain name registration is canceled according to the provisions under each subparagraph of Paragraph 1, use of the domain name shall be suspended for 30 days before the cancellation regardless of public holidays. <Amended on Jul. 16, 2015 and Aug. 8, 2017>
(3) If the reason for domain name registration cancellation is resolved during the period of domain name use under Paragraph 2, the suspension of use shall be lifted and the registration shall not be canceled.
(4) When a domain name registration is canceled according to Paragraph 1, KISA or the registrar shall notify the respective domain name registrant of the cancellation via email or in writing with the reasons for the cancellation specified.

Article 12 (Domain Name Dispute and Handling)

(1) A person who seeks conciliation for a dispute in relation to the registration, possession, or use of a domain name may apply for conciliation with the Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee (hereinafter referred to as "Resolution Committee") according to the provisions of Article 18 of the Act.
(2) If the Resolution Committee requests restriction of registration information change in relation to a domain name for which conciliation was applied, KISA or the registrar may restrict change of the registration information of the respective domain name.
(3) In any of the following cases, KISA or the registrar shall take action according to the result: <Amended on Aug. 8, 2017>
- 1. When the parties in dispute accept—or are deemed to have accepted—a draft conciliation of the Resolution Committee according to Paragraph 4, Article 20 of the Act; <Amended on Aug. 8, 2017>
- 2. <Deleted on Aug. 8, 2017>
- 3. When a court decision is finalized.

Article 13 (Service Charges)

(1) An applicant or a registrant shall pay to the registrar the service charges prescribed by a registrar.
(2) A registrar shall pay the service charges under Attached Table 2 to KISA when registering a domain name or renewing a domain name registration.
(3) If a registrant of a domain name subject to dispute conciliation does not pay the domain name registration renewal service charges until the date when the use of the domain name ends, a person who applied for conciliation of a dispute in relation to the registration, possession, or use of a domain name with the Resolution Committee under Paragraph 1, Article 12 may pay the service charges to the registrar on behalf of the registrant. <Newly established on Dec. 26, 2011> <Amended on Aug. 8, 2017>

Article 14 (Reduction of Service Charges)

Notwithstanding the provisions under Article 13, KISA may reduce the domain name service charges in part or in whole if necessary for promoting Internet utilization and disseminating the .kr and .hankuk domains. <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>

Article 15 (Selection of Registrar, Etc.)

(1) KISA may select a registrar to perform some of the operations related to domain name registration by proxy according to Article 14. <Amended on Oct. 24, 2005>
(2) A corporation that meets the following requirements can become a registrar:
- 1. A legal entity that has received a corporate credit rating of B or higher from a credit information company defined in Article 2 of the Credit Information Use and Protection Act; <Amended on Mar. 13, 2006, Jul. 5, 2007, and Jul. 16, 2015>
- 2. A legal entity owning a network that is connected to the Internet through a dedicated T1 class or higher line;
- 3. A legal entity that has been awarded a certification of information security management system according to Article 47 of the Act on the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection or which has undergone vulnerability analysis and evaluation according to Article 9 of the Act on the Protection of Information and Communications Infrastructure, or a legal entity that has been awarded a rating of A or higher by a person who has acquired qualification as an information security readiness assessment agency with technology transfer from KISA (Provided, That those subject to compulsory acquisition of information security management system certification or vulnerability analysis and evaluation are excluded). <Amended on Mar. 13, 2006, Jan. 12, 2009, Dec. 17, 2013, Nov. 4, 2014, and Jun. 16, 2020>
(3) <Deleted on Dec. 17, 2013>

Article 15-2 (Selection Procedure, Etc.)

(1) A person who wishes to become a registrar according to the provisions of Article 15 shall submit an application (Attached Form 1) to KISA with each of the following documents attached: <Newly established on Oct. 24, 2005>
- 1. Any document to verify eligibility under Paragraph 2, Article 15;
- 2. Business plan for domain name registration agency work;
- 3. Certificate of application fee payment under Attached Table 3.
(2) When an application is deemed conforming to the selection criteria as a result of review of the submitted documents, KISA selects the applicant as a registrar. <Newly established on Oct. 24, 2005>
(3) A person selected as a registrar according to Paragraph 2 shall enter into a registration contract with KISA and pay the registration agency contract performance bond under Attached Table 3. <Newly established on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 16 (Disqualification)

A person for whom two years have not passed since the cancellation of selection according to the provisions of Article 23 may not apply for selection as a registrar. <Amended on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 17 <Deleted on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 18 <Deleted on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 19 <Deleted on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 20 (Merger and Acquisition)

(1) A person who intends to acquire a domain name registration agency business shall obtain approval from KISA.
(2) A corporation that survives after a merger with another corporation that is a registrar or a corporation established through the merger and intends to operate a registration agency business shall obtain approval from KISA.
(3) For approval according to the provisions of Paragraphs 1 and 2, KISA shall review the requirements specified in Paragraph 2, Article 15. <Newly established on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 21 <Deleted on Oct. 24, 2005>

Article 22 (Discontinuation or Abolition of Registration Agency Business and Dissolution of Corporation)

(1) A registrar intending to discontinue or abolish its domain name registration agency business shall notify the registrar of the details at least 30 days before the expected discontinuation or abolition date and inform KISA of the discontinuation or abolition.
(2) When a corporation that is a registrar becomes dissolved due to reasons other than merger, the liquidator (receiver if the dissolution is due to bankruptcy) shall notify KISA without delay.

Article 23 (Selection Cancellation and Suspension of Agency Business)

(1) In any of the following cases, KISA may cancel the registrar selection or issue a suspension order against the agency business in part or in whole by prescribing a period of less than one year:
- 1. If the registrar was selected falsely or through other unlawful methods; (Amended on Jul. 16, 2015>
- 2. If the registrar has not commenced business within 90 days of the date of selection or has suspended the registration agency business continuously for 10 days or longer; <Amended on Aug. 8, 2017>
- 3. If the registrar or its employee, etc. occupied a domain name in advance by abusing its transactional position;
- 4. If a registration agency business had been suspended in part or in whole for 24 hours or longer on business days, and the registrar did not inform KISA of the reasons for business suspension or schedule of service resumption within 48 hours of the business suspension;
- 5. If the registrar has caused harm to KISA’s domain name registration management system and its operation;
- 6. If the registrar hinders the promotion and dissemination of domain name registration and use;
- 7. If the registrar had violated the provisions of these Rules and other provisions prescribed by KISA, and it has been requested by KISA to correct the violation but has not done so;
- 8. <Deleted>
- 9. If the registrar does not conform to the provision under Paragraph 2, Article 15; <Newly established on Oct. 24, 2005>
- 10. If the total number of .kr and .hankuk domains for which registration is performed by proxy as of December 1 of each year has been less than 500 since the year of registrar selection. <Newly established on Jul. 5, 2007> <Amended on Mar. 11, 2011>
(2) If a selection is canceled according to Paragraph 1, the registrar shall immediately transfer all information related to its domain name registration agency business to KISA or a person designated by KISA.
(3) If necessary for the cancellation of registrar selection or suspension of registration agency business in part or in whole under Paragraph 1, KISA may form a committee.
(4) Before canceling a registrar selection or ordering the suspension of a registration agency business in part or in whole according to Paragraph 1, KISA may give the respective parties an opportunity to make a statement by prescribing a period.

Article 24 (Collection of Registration Information)

(1) A registrar shall obtain consent from the registrant to collect the registration information under Subparagraph 1 through 5, Article 8.
(2) A registrar shall provide the registration information collected according to Paragraph 1 to KISA and specify it in the terms of service use (hereinafter referred to as "terms of use").

Article 25 (Restriction of Registration Information Use and Provision)

(1) KISA and the registrars shall neither use nor provide to a third party the registration information collected according to Article 24 beyond the scope specified in the terms of use. Provided, That exceptions apply to each of the following: <Amended on Jul. 16, 2015>
- 1. Domain name search service provided by KISA (WHOIS);
- 2. In case special regulations apply according to statutes;
- 3. In case government agencies request information in a format that disables the identification of specific individuals for the purpose of performing operations prescribed by the respective statutes.
(2) The scope of information provided for the domain name search service under Subparagraph 1, Paragraph 1 is as follows:
- 1. Domain name;
- 2. Name and address of registrant;
- 3. Name of management officer, telephone number, email address;
- 4. Information of name server;
- 5. Name of registrar;
- 6. Registration date, date of last information change, date when use ended.

Article 26 (Protection of Facilities)

KISA shall take each of the following actions to protect various facilities for domain name management:

1. Measures for protection against electronic infringement (network protection, system protection, etc.);
2. Measures for protection against physical infringement (access control, detection and monitoring of external intrusion, etc.);
3. Measures for protection against various disasters (accident prevention, system failure prevention, etc.);
4. Administrative measures to secure safety (personnel security, record storage, etc.).

Article 27 (Other Matters)

Matters necessary for the enforcement of these Rules or those not specified in these Rules shall be prescribed separately by the President of KISA.

Addenda

Article 1 (Enforcement Date)

These Rules shall enter into force on the day of their approval by the Minister of Information and Communication.

Article 2 (Transitional Measures for Domain Name Registrar)

A person selected by KISA to perform domain name registration by proxy at the time of enforcement of these Rules shall be deemed to have been selected as a domain name registrant according to the provisions of Article 15.

Article 3 (Transitional Measures for Domain Name)

A domain name registered with KISA at the time of enforcement of these Rules shall be deemed to have been registered according to these Rules.

Addenda (Amended on Oct. 24, 2005)

Article 1 (Enforcement Date) These Rules shall enter into force on the day of their approval by the Minister of Information and Communication.

Addenda (Amended on Mar. 13, 2006)

Article 1 (Enforcement Date) These Rules shall enter into force on the day of their approval by the Minister of Information and Communication.

Addenda (Amended on Sep. 7, 2006)

Article 1 (Enforcement Date) These Rules shall enter into force on the day of their approval by the Minister of Information and Communication.

Addenda (Amended on Feb. 27, 2007)

Article 1 (Enforcement Date) These Rules shall enter into force on the day of their approval by the Minister of Information and Communication.

Addenda (Amended on Jul. 5, 2007)