In South Korea, a business or corporate name is the 상호 (sangho). Uniqueness is enforced locally (by city/county or metropolitan city), not nationwide. As a result, different, unrelated entities can lawfully use the same or very similar names in different jurisdictions—one reason KOBDi searches may return many entries for the same name. Nationwide exclusivity typically comes from trademark rights and protection of well-known marks, not from the registry naming rule.
The legally controlling name is in Korean; an English name (영문 상호) is optional and can be recorded later, and businesses can obtain an English Business Registration Certificate for international use.
The legal concept of a business name (상호)
- 상호 (trade name) is the official business/corporate name recorded in public registers.
- For corporations, the name (법인명) appears in the Corporate Registry (법인등기부) maintained by the court.
- Separately, businesses register with the National Tax Service (국세청, NTS) for tax purposes; that process uses the same Korean name but serves a different function (tax identity).
Why duplicate names happen
- Local uniqueness, not national: An identical name for the same line of business cannot be registered within the same jurisdiction (e.g., a particular 시/군 or metropolitan city).
- The same or highly similar name may be registered in other cities/counties by unrelated entities.
- This is why you may see many results for names like “삼성/Samsung”—they can belong to sole proprietors, small corporations, franchisees, or service providers in different jurisdictions.
Practical impact for users: name similarity alone does not imply affiliation. Always verify using official registration numbers (read last section below).
National-level constraints that still matter
Even if a local registry would accept a name, nationwide rules can restrict use:
- Trademark rights (상표권): Registered marks generally provide nationwide exclusivity in the covered classes.
- Protection of well-known indications: Using a name that causes consumer confusion with a well-known brand can be prohibited even without a trademark conflict at the local level.
What you’ll see on KOBDi (and why)
International users often find it unusual that a search returns many entities with the same or similar name. Common reasons:
- Different jurisdictions: multiple legal entities with identical names registered in different cities/counties.
- Different entity types: 개인사업자 (sole proprietors) and 법인 (corporations) can lawfully share similar names.
- Franchises/agents: authorized local operators using a brand element in their names, yet each is a separate legal entity.
- Place-based names: names derived from districts (e.g., “삼성동/Samsung-dong”) naturally recur.
Best practice: search by Business Registration Number (사업자번호) for tax identity and, where relevant, by Corporate Registration Number (법인등록번호) for legal identity.
English business names (영문 상호) and certificates
- The Korean name controls in law and on official records.
- An English name (영문 상호) is optional. You may record it in the corporate registry at incorporation or add it later via a change registration.
- Businesses can obtain an English Business Registration Certificate (영문 사업자등록증명) through NTS channels. This is widely used for banking, cross-border invoicing, tenders, and vendor onboarding.
Contracting tip: use the Korean legal name in the contract body, and attach the English certificate or a bilingual extract for clarity.
How to disambiguate entities with the same name
- Check the registered address (사업장 주소 / 본점 소재지).
Duplicates usually appear because the entities are in different jurisdictions or locations. - Check the CEO / representative director (대표자·대표이사) name, if available.
This often distinguishes unrelated businesses using the same or similar name. - Use the Corporate Registration Number (법인등록번호) when you have it—
but note that branches (지점) share the same corporate registration number as the head office. - Prefer the Business Registration Number (사업자번호) as the primary identifier.
It is the most reliable unique ID; each place of business (including branches) has its own 사업자번호.