How to Apply for a Traditional Liquor Manufacturing License — Regional Specialty Liquor Recommendation, Tax Office Liquor Manufacturing License Documents and Facility Standards

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm traditional liquor status and choose the liquor type

   Traditional liquor under Article 2, item 8 of the Liquor Tax Act is divided into liquor made by holders of intangible heritage in the liquor field, liquor made by Korean food masters in the liquor field, and regional specialty liquor recommended by the Mayor/Do Governor. Liquor manufacturing licenses are issued by type, such as takju, yakju, cheongju, fruit wine and soju, so making a different type at the same site requires a separate license for that type. Regional specialty liquor must use as main ingredients (up to the top 3 ingredients by weight of the final product) agricultural products grown directly or produced in the city, county or district of the manufacturing site and adjacent ones.

2. 2. Secure a manufacturing site and check facility standards

   A regional specialty liquor manufacturing site needs a brewing room of 10 m2 or more for takju, yakju and cheongju, a raw material processing room of 6 m2 or more and a brewing room of 20 m2 or more for fruit wine, and a brewing room of 25 m2 or more for soju, general distilled liquor, liqueur and other liquor, and depending on the type it must have filtering, bottle washing, bottling and capping facilities and a thermometer, alcohol meter and simple distiller. Traditional liquor by intangible heritage holders and food masters is subject to standards of a brewing room of 10 m2 or more, washing and bottling facilities and testing equipment. Before leasing or buying equipment, check the building's permitted use and drainage and ventilation conditions.

3. 3. Apply to the city, county or district for a liquor manufacturing license recommendation

   Submit the liquor manufacturing license recommendation application with a business plan and documents proving that you meet the recommendation eligibility to the mayor, county governor or district head. The city, county or district attaches a review opinion and forwards it to the Mayor/Do Governor, who recommends the license to the Commissioner of the National Tax Service with a liquor manufacturing license recommendation if the requirements are met, or notifies the applicant of the reasons if not. For regional specialty liquor, whether the applicant is an agricultural business entity or producer organization and the raw material sourcing plan are central to the business feasibility review.

4. 4. Apply to the competent tax office for a liquor manufacturing license

   Enter the manufacturing site location, liquor type and specifications, manufacturing method and planned production volume per brewing year in the liquor manufacturing license application, attach a copy of the recommendation, drawings, an equipment list and capacity table and a manufacturing process chart, and submit it to the head of the tax office having jurisdiction over the manufacturing site. The head of the tax office may grant the license on condition that the facilities are installed, in which case construction must start within 1 year and be completed within 3 years of the license date (6 months and 1 year for small-scale liquor manufacturers), with reports to the tax office at the start and completion of construction. The license may be refused if national or local taxes are in arrears or 2 years have not passed since a license cancellation.

5. 5. Food manufacturing and processing business registration and facility change management

   A food manufacturing and processing business that makes liquor registers with the Minister of Food and Drug Safety under the proviso to Article 26-2(1) of the Enforcement Decree of the Food Sanitation Act. After licensing, when manufacturing facilities or equipment or the site's building or land are newly installed, expanded or improved, report to the head of the competent tax office within 20 days, and follow the relocation procedure when moving the manufacturing site.

Required documents

• Liquor manufacturing license application (Enforcement Rule of the Liquor License Act, Form No. 3)
• Liquor manufacturing license recommendation application (Enforcement Rule of the Traditional Liquor Industry Promotion Act, Form No. 1) with a business plan for the recommendation and documents proving eligibility (agricultural business entity registration records, proof of raw material origin, etc.)
• Copy of the liquor manufacturing license recommendation (Form No. 2 of the same Enforcement Rule, issued by the Mayor/Do Governor)
• Business plan and drawings showing the condition of the manufacturing site land and the building structure
• List of machinery, tools and containers used for manufacturing, storage or sale, and description of manufacturing facilities and equipment with a capacity table
• Manufacturing process chart and description of the manufacturing method
• Copy of the lease contract (if the manufacturing site is leased), articles of incorporation, minutes of the general meeting of shareholders or board of directors and list of shareholders and officers (corporations), copy of the partnership agreement (joint business)
• Food manufacturing and processing business registration application (liquor manufacturing, registered with the Minister of Food and Drug Safety)

Fees

Industry range of hundreds of thousands to millions of won · We will advise after consultation, depending on whether we start from the recommendation application, the number of liquor types and the volume of the business plan and manufacturing method description. Government fees are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Liquor License Act, Article 3
• Liquor License Act, Article 7
• Enforcement Decree of the Liquor License Act, Article 2
• Enforcement Decree of the Liquor License Act, Article 21
• Enforcement Decree of the Liquor License Act, Annex 1
• Enforcement Rule of the Liquor License Act, Article 2 and Annex
• Enforcement Rule of the Liquor License Act, Article 12 and Form No. 3
• Liquor Tax Act, Article 2, item 8
• Traditional Liquor Industry Promotion Act, Article 2
• Traditional Liquor Industry Promotion Act, Article 8
• Enforcement Rule of the Traditional Liquor Industry Promotion Act, Article 3
• Enforcement Rule of the Traditional Liquor Industry Promotion Act, Article 4, Form No. 1 and Form No. 2
• Enforcement Decree of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 26-2

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-10

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• If construction of the manufacturing facilities is not started or completed within the set period after a conditional license, the license loses effect, so align equipment orders and construction schedules with the license schedule.
• Even at the same manufacturing site, making liquor other than the licensed type requires a separate license for that type.

Frequently asked questions