KISA, the registry overseeing South Korea’s .KR domain, has announced an intriguing initiative: the introduction of third-level domain names mirroring popular national domains from other countries. Specifically, these new domains reference Anguilla’s .AI, the British Indian Ocean Territory’s .IO, Italy’s .IT, and Montenegro’s .ME. These domains have recently gained significant popularity due to their meaningful abbreviations in the English language. Now, South Korean users can register third-level domain names in the format .ai.kr, .it.kr, .me.kr and .io.kr.
In its press release, KISA openly acknowledges the inspiration behind this move: "National domains such as .ai (Anguilla), .io (British Indian Ocean Territory), .it (Italy), and .me (Montenegro) are widely used by AI startups, IT companies, and bloggers. To align with these trends, we have developed a policy that allows our citizens to register third-level domains within the national .KR domain zone."
According to Domain Incite, this initiative is economically appealing. For example, a third-level domain registration under .ai.kr costs approximately $14 per year, whereas an .AI domain registration starts at $70. However, the initiative is unlikely to gain international traction, as registration is limited to South Korean residents.
