Introduction of New Domains Such as 'ai.kr'
Nearly 4,000 Registered on the First Day Alone
6,120 New Domains Applied For in Just Two Weeks
Creative Domains Like 'like.it' Also Emerging
"Overseas Domains Cost 200,000 KRW, Domestic Ones 20,000 KRW"
With the availability of new domains reminiscent of new businesses like artificial intelligence (AI), over 6,000 applications were received in two weeks.
A total of 3,933 registrations were made in just one day on the first day of new domain registration on the 5th. Getty Images
According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the number of new 'kr' domain registrations over the two weeks from the 5th to the 18th was counted at 6,120. 'ai.kr' led with 2,742 registrations, followed by 'it.kr' (1,173), 'io.kr' (1,139), and 'me.kr' (1,066). On the first day of new domain applications, the 5th, a total of 3,933 registrations were made in just one day.
A total of 774 domains were registered after receiving applications first from trademark holders such as companies, schools, and public institutions. There were 171 cases where one trademark applied for all four domains. KISA explained that to prevent unnecessary disputes due to domain preemption, priority registration for trademark holders was conducted from December 3 last year to January 17.
The first registered domains were Mirae Asset Securities (m-stock.ai.kr) and an individual’s registration of 'chat.ai.kr'. Both were registered simultaneously at 10:06:00 AM on the 5th. Among the domains registered so far, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (samsungelectromechanics.ai.kr) has the longest name.
Cases of creating creative homepage links using the new domains were also introduced. Although 'it.kr' was expected to be mainly used by the IT industry, many cases used it with the meaning of 'it', such as 'ilove.it.kr' or 'buy.it.kr'. In the case of 'me.kr', it was also used for portfolio websites like 'about.me.kr'.
Earlier, the Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA introduced new domains for the first time in 22 years due to the rapid development of AI-related new technologies. The four new domains can be registered by any corporation or individual with an address in South Korea. Domain registration is conducted on the websites of 15 domain name registrars including Daou Technology, Megazone, and Whois. The registration fee is around 20,000 KRW per year.
Lee Jeong-min, head of KISA’s Internet Address Policy Team, said, "In the ongoing 'AI boom', if you want to express your identity with a domain containing AI, I thought it was necessary to create related domains," adding, "Similar overseas domains cost over 200,000 KRW annually, but kr domains have a relatively low registration fee of around 20,000 KRW."
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