SEOUL, October 12 (AJP) - South Korea's Justice Ministry is reviewing a proposal to introduce a formal lobbyist registration system requiring individuals and organizations seeking to influence legislation to disclose their activities.
The ministry commissioned a study on lobbying regulations from Hong Wan-sik, a law professor at Konkuk University, and received the findings in June.
The report recommends requiring lobbyists to register and publicly disclose their activities, initially focusing on the National Assembly and local councils before gradually extending the regulations to central and local government agencies.
The proposal would mark a significant shift in South Korea, where lobbying takes place through businesses, industry associations, law firms and other interest groups without a comprehensive legal framework requiring lobbyists to register and disclose their activities.
Although lobbying itself is not categorically illegal, the absence of a dedicated regulatory system has long raised questions about transparency and the distinction between legitimate advocacy and improper influence.
Hong argued that interactions between interest groups and public officials were already widespread and that leaving such activities without systematic oversight could encourage corruption.
The ministry's review follows discussions at a Cabinet meeting in December 2025, when Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho called for a system under which registered lobbyists could operate within clearly defined legal boundaries.
Previous attempts to regulate lobbying have failed. Civic groups proposed mandatory registration and disclosure requirements as early as 2000, while several related bills were introduced during the 17th National Assembly, which served from 2004 to 2008. None became law.
The debate comes as other major economies have adopted different approaches to political lobbying.
In the United States, the Lobbying Disclosure Act requires covered lobbying firms and organizations to register and submit quarterly reports identifying their clients, lobbying issues, government institutions contacted and lobbying income or expenditures.
Germany introduced a federal lobbying register in 2022, requiring covered interest representatives seeking to influence the Bundestag or federal government to disclose information about their activities, policy interests and finances.
Japan, however, has no comparable comprehensive national lobbyist registration system. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has identified gaps in Japan's lobbying regulations and recommended greater disclosure of interactions between public officials and interest groups.
The U.S. system has also drawn attention in South Korea because of the lobbying activities of Coupang, the U.S.-listed e-commerce company whose principal market is South Korea.
According to U.S. federal lobbying disclosures, Coupang reported $2.27 million in lobbying expenditures in 2025 and another $2.37 million in the first half of 2026. The figures include expenses associated with outside lobbying firms, as required under U.S. disclosure rules.
The company's lobbying activities have involved Congress, the White House and federal agencies, including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
In the second quarter of 2026 alone, Coupang paid $250,000 to Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a federal disclosure report.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.