Is there a Shopify payment option in South Korea and what are its charges?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Core Issue:
Shopify Payments is not available in South Korea, creating challenges for Korean-based merchants selling to US/Canadian customers. Sellers struggle to find suitable payment gateways that work for both their Korean business location and international audience.

Available Options:

  • Third-party payment gateways are available for South Korea (searchable via Shopify’s gateway directory)
  • Shopify charges transaction fees when using third-party providers
  • PayPal is currently used by some merchants but proves time and cost inefficient

Key Challenges:

  • Most third-party gateways don’t accommodate Korean sellers targeting US/international customers
  • Stripe requires US citizenship for signup and doesn’t operate directly in Korea
  • Alternative providers (Adyen, Airwallex, Useepay) don’t serve Korean citizens with Korea-based businesses
  • Some gateways charge setup fees ($250-$750 USD) and have hidden charges or payment delays
  • One merchant reported issues with Paymentwall holding payments for months

Suggested Solution:
Multiple participants recommend establishing a Stripe account in the US, EU, HK, or UK to accept international payments, though this requires setting up a business entity in those regions.

Summarized with AI on October 31. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
2

Hello, @Hypercape1

A full list of all payment gateways available for South Korea can be seen here by typing “South Korea” into the country search bar here.

Shopify payments is not available in South Korea currently, but the list linked above shows what you can use via a third party gateway.

Charges will vary depending on the gateway you choose - you can see the charges Shopify applies for third party transactions here. Thank you!