Coffee shop business setup South Korea: secure visa/status, lease, and food-service approvals in the correct order. If you’re a foreign founder, plan a D-8 corporate-investor route (tied to forming a Korean company and a qualifying capital injection) and obtain an Alien Registration Card before filing; residents can operate as a sole proprietor or form a Yuhan/Chusik Hoesa. Sign a lease zoned as a neighborhood-living facility and confirm no change-of-use is required; budget key money plus monthly rent and keep occupancy under 15% of projected sales. Register the business with the National Tax Service to get a 사업자등록증 (within 20 days of opening prep), then file VAT at 10% quarterly. For the shop license, complete mandatory food-hygiene training, obtain staff health certificates from the health center, submit floor plans, and pass inspection under the Food Sanitation Act (handwash basin, grease trap, ventilation, pest control, washing/prep). If roasting beans, add a food manufacturing permit and check emissions rules. Install a POS with a VAN, enable cash-receipt issuance, and set up card, KakaoPay, and Naver Pay. Hire under written contracts, pay at least the national minimum wage, enroll 4 major insurances, contract food-waste collection, obtain fire/signage permits, and trademark the brand with KIPO.
