Operation Policy

Content Related Illegal or Restricted Products and Services

Illegal and restricted products and services, etc.

Via KakaoTalk, users are not allowed to sell or provide goods and services prohibited by law, restricted from selling online, infringing on another's intellectual properties, or violating good morals or other social order.

Kakao may restrict its users from using part of the KakaoTalk services as soon as it confirms the sales or provision of illegal goods or services via a report from its users or request from external institutions. Also, the company may permanently restrict the entire service usage if deciding that there is a clear tort or service restrictions are required to protect other users. In addition, if Kakao finds any information related to illegal/prohibited goods and services in the service areas where any KakaoTalk user can see or join, it may take a series of applicable measures, such as limiting search results on Open Chat Home, restricting access/usage of open chat rooms or open profiles, or curtailing exposure of posts, etc.

Illegal products and services

Selling or arranging to sell the following products are strictly prohibited under the current laws and regulations. It is not allowed to utilize KakaoTalk to sell or arrange sales of the following products directly or to promote, advertise, consult or transact to encourage the access or installment of external sites or apps that sell the relevant products (including a free offer).

  • Drugs (illicit drugs (ex. poppy, opium, and Coca leaves, etc.), psychotropic drugs, marijuana)
  • Blood/Certificate of blood donation
  • Military uniforms and military equipment, pseudo-uniforms
  • Police uniforms and police equipment, pseudo-police uniforms and pseudo-police equipment
  • Illegally captured or imported wild animals and processed foods made thereof
  • Tools to capture wildlife (ex. Traps, gins, snares, etc.)
  • Endangered wild plants and animals, and taxidermy
  • Pornography
  • Illegal medicines
  • Goods that the seller does not have proper ownership of, such as stolen goods or founds
  • Illicit replica mobile phone, or fake mobile phone
  • Gift certificates that cannot be transferred or sold (ex. rail ticket, registered ticket, and winning ticket or admission ticket for an international event, etc.)
  • Media content that has not been reviewed (ex. game content, video content, etc.)
  • Foods, health supplements, medical devices, and cosmetics that have not been approved or reported by relevant authorities
  • Household goods and electrical supplies without safety certification and broadcasting equipment with suitability untested
  • Products using illegal measuring units
  • Game-hacking programs (ex, nuclear, bot, Automouse, etc.)
  • Malware programs
  • Products for which cornering and hoarding are prohibited by the PRICE STABILIZATION ACT (provided, however, that it shall be applicable only within the prohibition period.)
  • All other products that have not been approved, reviewed, or authorized by relevant authorities

If any service provides a paid activity that is prohibited and has not been licensed, authorized, registered, or reported pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, it shall be deemed as an illegal service. It is not allowed to utilize KakaoTalk to sell or arrange the following services directly or to promote, advertise, or consult for the purpose of encouraging the access or installment of external sites or apps that provide the relevant services.

  • Illegal loan and loan brokerage service (if by a credit business or loan broker not registered under the LOAN BUSINESS ACT)
  • Illegal financial investment advisory service (if by a financial investor not authorized or registered under the CAPITAL MARKET ACT)
  • Illegal multilevel service (if by a multilevel marketing business not registered under the DOOR TO DOOR SALES ACT)
  • Illegal real estate agency service (if not by a licensed agent office registered under the REAL ESTATE AGENT ACT)
  • Illegal legal advisory service (if not by a lawyer)
  • Illegal services and relevant training services such as tattoos, semi-permanent make-up, piercings, therapeutic hypnosis, and hypnotherapy (if not by a medical clinic according to the MEDICAL LAW)
  • Illegal rubdown, massage, acupressure services (if not by an official massager authorized under the MEDICAL LAW)
  • Illegal detective agencies and messenger offices (for tapping, spycam, secret investigation, location tracking, etc.)
  • Illegal hacking service
  • Illegal circulation of funds and exchange services (ex. Cash-back transactions via credit card, mobile phone, or local gift certificate, etc.)
  • Illegal virtual asset transaction services (if not by a virtual asset operator reported under the SPECIFIC FINANCIAL INFORMATION ACT
  • Proxy game services
  • Falsification, modification, and preparation services for public and private documents
  • Name/title lending or referral service for a car rental operator to rent cars for business
  • Billing service issuing false tax invoice and bill
  • Other illegal services in violation of relevant laws and regulations

Products infringing trademark rights, copyrights, etc.

It is not allowed to utilize KakaoTalk to directly sell or arrange sales of products that infringe another’s intellectual property rights (including trademark rights or copyrights) or to promote, advertise, consult or transact to encourage the access or installment of external sites or apps that sell the relevant products (including a free offer).

An open chat room or open profile that consults or sells the following products shall be restricted from appearing as a search result on Open Chat Home. If Kakao identifies, from infringement report filed by an IP rights holder or upon request from relevant institutions, that any such open chat room or open profile has sold or provided the aforementioned products with zero contact via KakaoTalk, it may restrict its users from accessing or using the relevant open chat room or open profile and the owner of the open chat room or the creator of the open profile from using the open chat service.

  • Media content such as illegally copied software/program, alums/sound sources, video materials, game materials, books, etc.
  • Software, programs, etc. that incapacitate technical protection measures
  • Counterfeit goods (fake goods, imitations, etc.)
  • Any product that infringes other trademark rights or intellectual property rights

Products banned for online sales

The following products are banned from selling online and thereby are not allowed for sales or transactions via KakaoTalk (including free offers). The ordering, payment, providing, and receiving of any such product shall be processed in person.

An open chat room or open profile that consults or sells the following products shall be restricted from appearing as a search result on Open Chat Home. If Kakao identifies from user reports that any such open chat room or open profile has sold or provided the aforementioned products with zero contact via KakaoTalk, it may restrict its users from accessing or using the relevant open chat room or open profile and the owner of the open chat room or the creator of the open profile from using the open chat service.

  • Medicines (only available to pharmacy owners, not to be sold outside pharmacies or stores)
  • Alcoholic beverages or traditional liquor (only for mail-order by authorized mail order traders)
  • E-cigarettes containing cigarettes and nicotine (not for mail-order and e-commerce)
  • Sight-corrective glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses, and non-prescription cosmetic lenses (not for mail-order and e-commerce)
  • Gun, sword, gunpowder, spray, stun gun, crossbow (not for mail-order and e-commerce)
  • Other products prohibited from selling online according to relevant laws and regulations

Products possibly invading privacy

Any product that may invade privacy and communications secret is restricted from sales, promotion, and consultation via Open Chat. An open chat room that handles the following products may be restricted from appearing as a search result, and Kakao may restrict its users from accessing and using it.

  • Sub-miniature or camouflage cameras
  • Wiretapping device or wiretapping app
  • Location tracker, location tracking app
  • Other products that may invade privacy and communications secret

Similar investment advisory services

“Similar investment advisory service” refers to a business operated by authorized investment consultancy that makes it business to provide investment advice for a specific price through periodicals, publications, communication content, or broadcasts issued or transmitted to or frequently purchased or received by unspecified people.

Similar investment advisors shall not offer one-to-one investment advice or be in charge of the investment amount of individual investors according to the CAPITAL MARKET ACT. Also, group chat rooms are not available as a means of communicating information pursuant to the ENFORCEMENT RULE OF THE FINANCIAL INVESTMENT SERVICES AND CAPITAL MARKETS ACT. Therefore, if Kakao identifies via Report that an open chat room or open profile falls under any of the following cases, it may prohibit them from appearing as search results on Open Chat Home or restrict its users from accessing them. The aforementioned open chat room or open profile can request removing access restrictions by proving its license, authority, or registration as a financial investment business, including an investment firm.

  • If a similar investment advisor, general corporation, or individual, not an authorized investment advisory, offers one-to-one customized investment advice or is entrusted with the investment of a private investor
  • An act of making false and exaggerated advertisements guaranteeing principals, indemnifying or compensating losses, promising profits or high returns with regard to investment
  • An act of offering similar investment advisory services in a group chat room for a certain price
  • Any other forbidden activities to similar investment advisors pursuant to relevant laws and regulations