New National Domains Announced: 'ai.kr' Available for 20,000 KRW Annual Registration

Companies and individuals launching new businesses in Korea will now be able to use national domains such as 'ai.kr', 'io.kr', 'it.kr', and 'me.kr'.

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On December 2, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) announced its decision to introduce these four new national domains ending in .kr. Trademark holders will be given priority registration until January 17, 2025, and general registration will open on March 5, 2025.

In accordance with the Internet Address Resources Act, KISA manages Korea’s national domains, '.kr' and '.hanguk'. Recently, overseas country code domains such as '.ai' (Anguilla), '.io' (British Indian Ocean Territory), '.it' (Italy), and '.me' (Montenegro) have seen widespread use among those in artificial intelligence (AI), startups, IT companies, and bloggers.

KISA has developed this policy to allow Korean users to register the domains they want by introducing new national domains that reflect these latest trends.

While the overseas '.ai' domain typically costs around 100,000 KRW per year to register, 'ai.kr' can be registered for approximately 20,000 KRW per year. The domain can represent AI (artificial intelligence) and can also be used creatively. 'io.kr' can be used to signify input and output, or digital (101010), while 'it.kr' can refer to the information technology sector or popular shopping items (it items). 'me.kr' is versatile and can be used for media, medical, and other purposes.

Any individual or corporation with an address in Korea can register these new national domains. Domain names must be between 2 and 63 characters in English, and may include numbers and hyphens (-).

Registration is available through the websites of 15 official national domain registrars, with the average registration fee around 20,000 KRW (fees may vary by registrar). During the trademark holder priority registration period, domestic trademark holders may apply for one domain name per domain (up to four total) that matches their trademark, and must submit required documents such as the trademark registration certificate. For more details, refer to the notices on '한국인터넷정보센터.한국' or 'krnic.or.kr'.

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