Taking ivory & cites-listed items out of South Korea
Elephant ivory may not be taken out of South Korea — CITES Appendix I listing and domestic ivory laws prohibit cross-border movement of post-1975 ivory, and antique exemptions require permits.
Details
Elephant ivory is listed in CITES Appendix I: commercial international trade is banned, and personal cross-border movement of ivory items from South Korea is prohibited without CITES documentation that is in practice only issued for narrow antique and museum exemptions. Domestic ivory legislation in most covered countries (US ESA rules, UK Ivory Act 2018, China's 2018 trade ban and equivalents) further bans dealing in ivory regardless of export. Travellers carrying inherited or antique ivory must obtain pre-issued CITES export documentation for the narrow exemption categories; without it, items are seized at either border and prosecution is possible.
Quantity limits
Zero without pre-issued CITES antique-exemption documentation
Documentation required
- CITES export permit (antique/pre-Convention exemptions only)
The other direction
Bringing ivory & cites-listed items into South Korea(prohibited)