Compliance · South Korea
SMS Compliance in South Korea
A practical overview of the rules that affect SMS messaging and marketing in South Korea, with a checklist before you launch.
Key Rules for SMS in South Korea
Under South Korea's Network Act, advertising messages need prior consent, must start with the (광고) advertisement label, cannot be sent between 9 PM and 8 AM without separate consent, and senders must reconfirm consent every two years.
Several Asian markets require sender ID registration (for example Singapore's SMS Sender ID Registry) and have data protection laws with marketing consent rules, such as Singapore's PDPA and Malaysia's PDPA.
Data Protection
The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), enforced by the Personal Information Protection Commission, is one of the strictest privacy laws in Asia.
Keep a record of how each contact was collected, what they agreed to and when, and make it easy for them to withdraw consent.
Practical Checklist
- Collect and record consent (or confirm an existing customer relationship) before sending, with the date and source.
- Use a registered sender ID or number that recipients can recognise as your business.
- Identify your business in every message and keep promotional and service messages separate.
- Give a simple way to opt out of marketing and process opt-outs quickly across all your systems.
- Send in the recipient's local daytime hours and keep frequency reasonable.
Contact data
Format numbers in international E.164 format with the +82 country code, remove duplicates and invalid numbers, and keep consent records linked to each number.
Timing and Language
South Korea follows the Asia/Seoul time zone (UTC+09:00 in October 2026). The usual working week is Monday to Friday. Schedule SMS campaigns for the recipient's local daytime hours, avoid public holidays and religious observances that matter to your audience, and convert send times from IST before scheduling.
In Seoul, customers commonly use Korean, with English. Messages in the customer's preferred language usually perform better, but check how local-language text affects character counts (for SMS) and template approval (for WhatsApp).
Digital Habits and Channels in South Korea
South Korea has among the world's fastest mobile networks, and KakaoTalk is used by almost everyone; Kakao's business message service (AlimTalk for notifications) often replaces SMS. Korean law requires advertising messages to start with the '(광고)' advertising label, include the sender's name and contact details, and obtain separate consent for messages sent between 9 pm and 8 am.
Cards, Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Samsung Pay dominate payments, and Naver and Coupang are major shopping platforms. Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok, when gift sets are exchanged, are the biggest retail seasons.
South Korea's economy is led by large conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG, which make semiconductors, smartphones, cars, ships and batteries, and the country has very high 5G coverage. VAT is 10%, and prices are in won. Most Koreans live in apartment complexes and use fast delivery services, so time-sensitive delivery updates and coupons are popular. Search and shopping start on Naver as well as Google.
Regulators, Registers and Practical Rules in South Korea
South Korea's PIPC enforces PIPA, and ad messages must start with (광고).
Night-time ads need extra consent.
Under the Information and Communications Network Act, advertising messages need prior consent, must begin with (광고), include the sender's name and contact, and give a free opt-out. Messages sent between 9 pm and 8 am need separate consent. KakaoTalk is the dominant messaging app, and Kakao's business message products are often used instead of SMS. SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ are the operators.
General guidance, not legal advice. Check current rules with the regulator or a local adviser before launch.
Advertising Alongside Messaging
Advertising follows the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising, and the Fair Trade Commission requires clear disclosure of paid influencer content.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our understanding as of October 2026. Rules change, so we check current requirements for South Korea before every launch.
Planning SMS campaigns for South Korea?
We check the rules, set up sender requirements and run compliant campaigns.
SMS in South Korea: FAQs
Do I need consent to send marketing SMS messages in South Korea?
In most cases, yes, or at least an existing customer relationship and a clear opt-out. Under South Korea's Network Act, advertising messages need prior consent, must start with the (광고) advertisement label, cannot be sent between 9 PM and 8 AM without separate consent, and senders must reconfirm consent every two years.
Do I need a registered sender ID for South Korea?
Sender ID rules vary by country and operator. Some countries require pre-registration of alphanumeric sender IDs, others only allow numeric senders. We confirm the current requirement before launch.
Can DND Teams run SMS campaigns to South Korea?
Yes. We are based in Bhopal, India, and run campaigns for international markets remotely, after checking the current rules, sender requirements and coverage for South Korea.
Is this legal advice?
No. This guide is general information to help you plan. Regulations change and their application depends on your business, so take local legal advice for significant campaigns.
Related Guides and Services
Other channels in South Korea
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