Korean Business Registration Number Lookup: A Worked Example
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A Korean business registration number lookup takes one free query on the National Tax Service’s Hometax site: enter the supplier’s 10-digit number in the business status check (사업자상태 조회) and the result shows whether the business is active, temporarily suspended or closed, along with its VAT taxpayer type.
If you are about to pay a Korean supplier for the first time, this is the quickest way to confirm that the company on the invoice exists on the tax register.
This case walks through the check using SEONGWOO GLOBAL’s own registration details, then explains how to read each result and what the lookup does not tell you.
Korean business registration number lookup: the short answer
If the Korean business registration number lookup returns 계속사업자 (continuing business) and the trade name, representative and address match the documents the supplier sent you, the first check is done. If it says suspended or closed, stop and ask why before any money moves.
The record: SEONGWOO GLOBAL’s public registration data
Start by collecting what the supplier publishes. SEONGWOO GLOBAL shows the following in the footer of every page of this website:
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Item | SEONGWOO GLOBAL (Seoul) |
|---|---|
| Trade name | 성우글로벌 (SEONGWOO GLOBAL) |
| Representative | 이인근 |
| Business registration no. | 791-03-02920 |
| Address | 702, Changgang Bldg, 11-5 Namdaemun-ro 7-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul |
| Phone | +82-2-3789-9992 |
| [email protected] |
A Korean business registration number (사업자등록번호) has ten digits, usually written 3-2-5, for example 791-03-02920. Before you look anything up, check that the same number appears on the website, the quotation, the commercial invoice and the copy of the registration certificate (사업자등록증) the supplier sends. A number that changes between documents is a warning sign in itself.
The process: running the lookup on Hometax
Hometax is in Korean, so the menu names are given in Korean with a translation.
- Open Hometax, the National Tax Service portal.
- Open the full menu (전체메뉴) and choose the 증명·등록·신청 tab (certificates, registration and applications).
- Under 사업자등록 신청·정정·휴폐업, click 사업자상태 조회(사업자등록번호), the status check by registration number. Menu positions change when Hometax is redesigned; typing 사업자상태 into the site search also finds it. The path here follows Toss Payments’ Hometax walkthrough.
- Enter the ten digits without hyphens (7910302920) and run the query.
- Read the business status and the taxpayer type on the result screen.
If you vet many suppliers, the public data portal offers the National Tax Service’s business registration verification and status API. It is free after you apply for access and returns the operating status, taxpayer type and closure date for each number.
The listing says the data is refreshed every 30 minutes and that newly opened businesses can take one to two days to appear, so a brand-new company that does not show up yet may simply need a few more days.
The result: how to read the status
The lookup returns one of three statuses:
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Result | What it means | What a buyer should do |
|---|---|---|
| 계속사업자 (continuing) | Registration is active | Match name, representative and address with the documents |
| 휴업자 (suspended) | The business has filed a temporary suspension | Hold the deal; ask why and when it resumes |
| 폐업자 (closed) | The business has filed a closure; a closure date is shown | Do not proceed; ask whether operations moved to another entity |
The taxpayer type (일반과세자 general, 간이과세자 simplified, and others) mainly affects how Korean VAT invoices are issued. It rarely matters for an export purchase, but note it if the supplier also invoices you domestically.
Anyone can run SEONGWOO GLOBAL’s number, 791-03-02920, through the same screen. We have not printed a screenshot of our own result here because a status can change at any time; the reliable check is the one you run yourself just before you place an order.
What the lookup does not prove
A status check only tells you that a registered business is operating. Other checks fill the gaps:
- Corporate registry: if the supplier is a corporation (for example 주식회사), its certified register extract can be viewed for a fee at the Supreme Court Internet Registry Office, showing directors, head office and incorporation date. Sole proprietors have no corporate register entry.
- Mail-order registration: businesses that sell online to consumers must file a mail-order business report, searchable via the Fair Trade Commission’s register. A B2B-only wholesaler may not be required to file, so absence from that list is not a red flag by itself.
- Real premises and phone: confirm that the address is an office you could visit and that the main number is answered.
- Product origin: registration says nothing about whether goods are genuine or how they were sourced. See parallel import vs authorized distributor for how supply channels differ.
For a Hong Kong counterparty, the Hong Kong Companies Registry’s company search serves the same purpose.
Related reading: Parallel import vs authorized distributor · Buy from the brand or a wholesaler? · B2B marketplace vs direct supplier · How to start a K-beauty business
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See also: How to verify SEONGWOO GLOBAL