Platforms & marketplaces
Businesses connecting providers and users through commissions, advertising, or subscriptions
New Business · License & Permit
New-Business Permits & Korea Market Entry
Before launching your business, check the permits required under current rules and the order in which to prepare them.
We review your planned business activity, premises, and preparation stage to identify the permits and sequence to address first under current requirements. Once the scope is agreed, we support the necessary steps from application preparation to responding to requests for additional information.
Get a free review of your situation
Start with your situation
Business and location
Your planned activity and business location
Preparation stage
Before or after a lease, fit-out, or filing
What to check
Your target opening date and any agency guidance received
The free review covers initial feasibility and where to start. A paid consultation covers document review and a tailored preparation strategy. You can begin with a brief description; send identity documents only when requested through the appropriate channel.
Request a free reviewWhen the business does not fit one familiar category
The examples below do not promise that a permit is available. They show when the business structure should be reviewed before a lease, investment, development, or launch.
Sharing & space-based models
Accommodation, rentals, shared kitchens, and other multi-use space models
Foreign founders & market entry
Businesses that must connect Korean entity, immigration, investment, and operating permits
Services across regulatory lines
Models combining online and offline activity, manufacturing and services, or multiple regulated roles
Hard-to-classify new businesses
New technology or transaction models that do not fit one familiar business category
We review the structure, not just the business name
Formal cooperation · INSIGHT Law Firm
Administrative services and separate legal matters
ETHOS handles administrative licensing and permit procedures directly. Separate legal advice or litigation relating to business operations can be independently reviewed by the cooperating law firm.
The law firm independently decides on engagement and fees. Client information is not automatically shared.
Who it's for
- Founders preparing a platform, marketplace, subscription, or brokerage service
- Businesses using shared spaces, rentals, accommodation, or mixed-use premises
- Foreign founders and overseas businesses preparing to enter Korea
- Businesses facing overlapping categories or unclear competent authorities
- Applicants responding to a supplement request or denial
How we help you
- Understand the facts and questions that need review
- Organize the documents needed for the next step
Process
- 01
Map the business model
Activity, operator, premises, and transaction structure
- 02
Find rules & authorities
Potential statutes, local rules, and competent agencies
- 03
Design the permit path
Prerequisites, sequence, and required materials
- 04
File & respond
Documents, supplement requests, and next-step review
Documents
- Description of the service customers will actually receive
- Operating entity, contracting parties, and revenue structure
- Planned location and current lease stage
- Website, app screens, or a service-flow diagram
- Agency replies, supplement requests, or dispositions already received
- Company, investment, and immigration status for overseas businesses
※ May expand or narrow per case.
Key deadlines
- Application processing
- Check the period published for the specific application
- Supplement response
- Use the deadline stated in the authority's notice
- Appeal of a denial
- 90 days from learning of the disposition; 180 days from the disposition (Administrative Appeals Act Art. 27(1),(3))
※ May differ by individual case.
What happens if you wait
- Missing information can delay the initial review
What each service covers
Free review
Check feasibility and where to begin
An initial review of the information provided; detailed strategy is handled in a paid consultation.
Paid consultation
Plan your documents and next steps
Document review, preparation sequence, supporting arguments, and an engagement fee estimate.
Engagement
Agree on the work to be carried out
Confirm the scope and fee before proceeding. A consultation does not automatically include filing or agency responses.
30 minutes · KRW 33,000–55,000 · Consultation fee fully credited upon engagement.
Consultation details and bookingWhat you can check yourself—and when review becomes useful
Start by checking these yourself
- ✓Write down the actual service, users, and revenue model
- ✓Check the planned location and current lease stage
- ✓Collect public application guides and any agency replies
Consider a professional review when
- ◆Several laws or authorities may overlap
- ◆The authority cannot clearly classify the business
- ◆A lease, investment, company, or immigration step depends on the permit path
- ◆A supplement request or denial has already been issued
If the category is unclear, you do not need to choose a service name first. A free initial review can help identify what should be checked in your situation.
Frequently asked
Can you review a business before I know its official category?
Yes. We begin with the actual activity, operator, premises, and transaction structure rather than relying on a label.
What if different authorities give different answers?
We separate the facts presented and each authority's jurisdiction, then organize the questions that still need written confirmation.
What should a foreign business check first?
We connect the Korean operating entity, investment or company structure, immigration status, and operating permits in the order relevant to the model.
Can the conclusion be that no permit is required?
The review does not assume a permit is required, but it also checks whether a notification, registration, or another statutory duty may remain.
This is general information only; feasibility and procedures require case-by-case review and confirmation with the official agency.
Related practical columns
Review common requirements and practical issues before you file.
