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Doing business in Singapore for clients from Korea

Korean exporters and shipping groups often meet Singapore first through its port. The treaty position is recent and clear, with a new tax agreement effective from 2020 and two trade agreements alongside RCEP.

Port, trade and the regional office

Korean shipping, logistics and manufacturing groups have a practical interest in a port that handled a record 44.66 million TEU in 2025, and a Singapore office lets them manage regional trade close to it. Technology and crypto-asset companies should think about licensing early. The book notes that a group whose Asian customers are in Korea may be better served by licensing where its customers are, with Singapore as a management and research centre.

Tax treaty and trade agreements

The new double taxation agreement was signed on 13 May 2019, entered into force on 31 December 2019 and has effect from 1 January 2020. The Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement dates from March 2006 and the ASEAN-Korea agreement from January 2010. RCEP has applied to Korea since February 2022.

Below you will find the articles written for clients from Korea as they are published, followed by the sections of the book Singapore as an International Financial Centre. Your own lawyers advise you on the law of Korea.

Singapore as an International Financial Centre