Sports Facility Business Report in Korea

Is a sports facility business a report or a registration?

Sports facility businesses are divided into registration-type and report-type businesses. Golf courses, ski resorts and motor racing tracks are registered with the si/do governor after business plan approval, while yacht marinas, rowing courses, canoe courses, ice rinks, horse riding centers, comprehensive sports facilities, swimming pools, martial arts studios, golf driving ranges, fitness centers, billiard halls, sledding slopes, dance academies, dance halls, baseball fields, virtual-experience sports facilities, sports instruction businesses and artificial climbing walls are report-type businesses. This page focuses on report-type sports facility businesses.

What are the requirements?

(1) Facility standards: operators must install and maintain facilities meeting the standards set by Ordinance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for each business type. Under the common standards, toilets and changing rooms suited to capacity (for report-type businesses other than swimming pools, a washroom may substitute for the changing room) and a water supply are required; where these are shared with other facilities, separate ones may not be needed.

(2) Sports instructors: sports facilities above a certain scale must assign sports instructors, and the scale and number by type are set in the Enforcement Rule.

(3) Some business types, such as small-scale ones, are treated differently for the reporting duty and penalties, so check with the competent authority whether your type is covered.

Which documents are needed?

Attach to the sports facility business report form: (1) documents proving the right of use, such as a real estate lease (if the property belongs to someone else); (2) an outline of the facilities and equipment; and (3) a copy of the temporary use approval if the building is under temporary use. The corporate register certificate is checked by the official in charge through shared administrative information. For a change report, attach only documents proving the change.

What is the procedure?

(1) Confirm the business type (report or registration) → (2) install facilities meeting the standards → (3) submit the report and attachments → (4) notice of acceptance → (5) issue of the report certificate. The receiving authority records the report in the report (change report) ledger and then issues the sports facility business report certificate.

How long does it take?

The competent authority must notify whether the report is accepted within 7 days of receipt, or within 5 days for a change report. If it does not notify acceptance or an extension of the processing period within this time, the report is deemed accepted on the day after the period ends.

Which authority receives the report?

File with the Mayor of a Special Self-Governing City, Governor of a Special Self-Governing Province, or the head of the si/gun/gu with jurisdiction over the business location. Registration-type businesses fall under the si/do governor.

What is the statutory fee?

A person filing a sports facility business report or change report must pay the fee set by ordinance of the metropolitan city, province or si/gun/autonomous district. The amount differs by local government and is not set uniformly in the law, so check the competent local government's ordinance.

When is a report rejected or a penalty imposed?

Violating the facility standards or the safety and hygiene standards, or failing to take out insurance, are grounds for a correction order, and operating a sports facility business without a report (excluding small-scale types) can lead to imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to KRW 10 million. It is best to check the facility standards and the lease documents proving the right of use before filing.

What can an administrative agent help with?

YouSun Administrative Agency prepares documents such as the sports facility business report and the facility and equipment outline and submits them to the authority on your authorization. Facility design and construction, obtaining sports instructor qualifications, and safety inspections are not covered. Work restricted by other laws cannot be handled, and litigation or court representation is outside the scope of an administrative agent and is not offered. Acceptance and the outcome are decided by the competent authority.