Accessibility law · Asia-Pacific

South Korea KWCAG 2.2 (KS X OT0003:2022)

In South Korea, the standard to meet is KWCAG 2.2 (KS X OT0003:2022). It binds public bodies and private businesses, for websites, mobile apps and kiosks. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
KWCAG 2.2 (KS X OT0003:2022)
Private sector
Covered
Accessibility statement
Required
Latest
Jan 2026
Reviewed
30 September 2026
WCAG 2.2 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

The Disability Discrimination Act makes accessible websites and electronic information a legal duty for public bodies and private organizations, and phased rules extended it to mobile apps (2023–2024) and kiosks (fully from 28 January 2026). The benchmark for websites is the national standard KWCAG 2.2; apps and kiosks must meet the Ministry of Science and ICT's verification criteria. Complaints go to the National Human Rights Commission, and an ignored recommendation can lead to a Justice Ministry corrective order and a fine of up to ₩30 million; since 22 January 2026 the Digital Inclusion Act also binds public bodies directly and runs the voluntary accessibility quality mark.

  • Public sector

    Public institutions must provide accessible websites and electronic information (Act art. 21; Decree art. 14), accessible apps from 28 July 2023 and accessible kiosks from 28 January 2024. The Digital Inclusion Act (art. 19) separately requires national agencies, local governments and public institutions to ensure accessible websites, apps, kiosks and e-publications.

  • Private sector

    Covered

    The website duty covers private organizations too; NIA describes web accessibility as a legal duty for all public and private websites. App duties reached businesses with 100 or more employees on 28 January 2024 and those with fewer than 100 on 28 July 2024. Kiosk duties cover all public and private kiosk sites from 28 January 2026, with lighter options for small premises and small business owners. Under the Digital Inclusion Act, other private services only have a duty to endeavor (art. 19(2)).

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Accessible websites required (Act art. 21; Decree art. 14); KWCAG 2.2 is the benchmark.

  • Mobile apps

    Covered

    Required under art. 21(2) since the 2023–2024 phases; MSIT verification criteria apply.

  • Documents

    Partly

    Electronic information must be accessible; publishers only endeavor; public e-publications under the Digital Inclusion Act.

  • Software

    Partly

    ICT makers and service providers must only endeavor to design accessible products.

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Covered

    Barrier-free kiosks required at all public and private sites from 28 January 2026.

  • Public procurement

    Partly

    Public bodies must promote priority purchase of accessibility-certified products (Digital Inclusion Act art. 23).

Timeline

Deadlines

Every date here is already in force.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 11 Apr 2008 In force

    Disability Discrimination Act takes effect, including the information-access duties in arts. 20 and 21.

    Source

  2. 28 Jan 2023 In force

    2021 amendment in force: kiosks and mobile apps brought under the Act, with phases set by decree.

    Source

  3. 28 Jul 2023 In force

    Apps, phase 1: public, education and medical institutions and transport facilities.

    Source

  4. 28 Jan 2024 In force

    Kiosks phase 1 (public, education, medical, financial, transport); apps phase 2 (welfare facilities, employers with 100+ staff).

    Source

  5. 28 Jul 2024 In force

    Kiosks phase 2 (welfare, large culture and arts, 100+ staff); apps phase 3 (culture, arts, tourism, employers under 100 staff).

    Source

  6. 28 Jan 2025 In force

    Kiosks phase 3: tourism businesses and employers with fewer than 100 staff.

    Source

  7. 22 Jan 2026 In force

    Digital Inclusion Act in force; articles 46–49 of the Intelligent Informatization Framework Act, including its web accessibility article, deleted.

    Source

  8. 28 Jan 2026 In force

    Kiosk duty applies in full, including kiosks installed before each phase date.

    Source

Instruments

The law in South Korea

4 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. 2007 · in force Apr 2008

    장애인차별금지 및 권리구제 등에 관한 법률 (Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities)

    Act No. 8341 of 2007, arts. 15, 20, 21 and 38–50; current text Act No. 21115

    Bans discrimination in access to electronic and non-electronic information (art. 20) and requires organizations to give equal access to the electronic information they produce and to apps (art. 21) and kiosks (art. 15(3)). Enforced through the Human Rights Commission, Justice Ministry orders and the courts.

    Primary source

  2. 2008 · am. 2023, 2025

    Enforcement Decree of the Act — arts. 10-2 and 14

    Presidential Decree, amended 30 Mar 2023, 18 Nov 2025 and 31 Dec 2025

    Art. 14 requires accessible websites and sets the app rules: meet MSIT's verification criteria, show conformance before download, give installation help, offer sign-language, text or voice support, and support voice commands. Art. 10-2 sets the kiosk rules and the small-business alternatives.

    Primary source

  3. Dec 2022

    한국형 웹 콘텐츠 접근성 지침 2.2 (KWCAG 2.2)

    KS X OT0003:2022 — National Radio Research Agency / NIA

    The national web accessibility standard. The 2022 revision added 9 checkpoints drawn from WCAG 2.1 and 2.2, such as pointer cancellation, label in name, accessible authentication and redundant entry, for 33 in all.

    Primary source

  4. Jan 2026 Latest

    디지털포용법 (Digital Inclusion Act)

    Act No. 20672, enacted 21 Jan 2025

    Requires national agencies, local governments and public institutions to ensure accessible websites, apps, kiosks and e-publications (art. 19), puts binding duties on kiosk operators, makers and lessors (art. 20), and runs the voluntary accessibility quality certification (arts. 21–22) and priority purchasing (art. 23).

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    National Human Rights Commission of Korea (complaints and investigation); Minister of Justice (corrective orders and fines); Ministry of Health and Welfare (the Act's decree); Ministry of Science and ICT (Digital Inclusion Act, kiosk orders, quality certification).

  • How

    Anyone can file a complaint with the Commission (art. 38), which can also investigate on its own (art. 39) and recommend correction. If a recommendation is ignored and the harm is serious (many victims, repeated or deliberate), the Minister of Justice can order correction (art. 43). Courts can grant interim relief and order corrective measures (art. 48). MSIT can order kiosk operators, makers and lessors to comply (Digital Inclusion Act art. 20).

  • Penalties

    Up to ₩30 million administrative fine for ignoring a confirmed corrective order (art. 50); up to 3 years in prison or a ₩30 million fine for malicious discrimination (art. 49). Under the Digital Inclusion Act, up to ₩30 million for ignoring an MSIT kiosk order and up to ₩5 million for false quality certification or marks (art. 37). The health ministry said it may apply kiosk sanctions flexibly at first.

  • Individuals

    Victims, or anyone who knows of the discrimination, can complain to the Commission. Victims can sue for damages (art. 46); the claimant proves the unequal treatment and the other side must prove it was not disability-based or had a justifiable reason (art. 47).

Accessibility statement

A statement is required

Required

Only for mobile apps: before purchase or installation, an app must show whether it meets MSIT's verification criteria (Decree art. 14(6)). No general website accessibility statement is required; the WA quality mark is voluntary.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • Justifiable reasons: an excessive burden or marked difficulty, or treatment unavoidable given the nature of the job or business (art. 4(3)).
  • Kiosks in neighborhood facilities under 50 m², kiosks of small business owners and small table-order kiosks may instead add compatible assistive devices or software, or staff plus a call bell (Decree art. 10-2(3)).
  • Apps released before a provider's phase date had six months from that date to comply.
  • Kiosks installed before the phase dates only had to comply from 28 January 2026.

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is KWCAG 2.2 (KS X OT0003:2022).

  1. Audit your pages against the standard named above; it maps onto WCAG success criteria.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. Publish an accessibility statement that says what does not meet the standard yet, and how to report a problem.
  5. If you sell to the public sector, document conformance in an accessibility conformance report, such as a VPAT or an EN 301 549 statement.
  6. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    Yes. The Disability Discrimination Act's information-access duty covers private organizations, and NIA describes web accessibility as a legal duty for all public and private websites. App duties now reach employers of any size, and kiosk duties cover all public and private sites from 28 January 2026.

  • Which standard should we test against?

    For websites, KWCAG 2.2 (KS X OT0003:2022), a 33-checkpoint national standard based on WCAG. For apps and kiosks, the verification criteria in MSIT's notice under the Digital Inclusion Act decree. Meeting full WCAG 2.2 AA would go beyond KWCAG's checkpoint list.

  • Is the web accessibility (WA) quality mark mandatory?

    No. It is a voluntary certification by bodies MSIT designates, now under arts. 21–22 of the Digital Inclusion Act. Certified products are favored in public purchasing, and showing a mark you do not hold can bring a fine of up to ₩5 million.

  • What happens if we don't comply?

    A complaint to the Human Rights Commission can lead to a recommendation, then a Justice Ministry corrective order, then a fine of up to ₩30 million if the order is ignored. Victims can also sue for damages, and malicious discrimination can bring up to 3 years in prison or a ₩30 million fine.

  • What changed in 2026?

    On 22 January 2026 the Digital Inclusion Act took effect, taking over accessibility and quality certification, and articles 46–49 of the Intelligent Informatization Framework Act (including its web accessibility article) were deleted. On 28 January 2026 the kiosk duty began to apply to every kiosk, including older machines.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Elsewhere

Also in Asia-Pacific

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