Meteorite law in South Korea
After the Jinju fall of 2014 the heritage authority treated Korean meteorites as cultural property and asked customs to stop them leaving the country.
Private ownership, export controlled
In March 2014 stones of the Jinju meteorite landed in farmland in the south of the country, including one that broke through a greenhouse. The find set off a meteorite rush, and foreign buyers arrived. The national heritage authority declared that meteorites found in Korea were cultural property worth protecting and asked customs to block their export, while ownership was left to ordinary law; the finders kept their stones.
Anyone who finds a possible meteorite in Korea should contact the Korea Polar Research Institute or a university, and should not try to export it.
This is general information to help you ask the right questions, not legal advice. Laws change and their details matter, and this summary was last reviewed in 2026. Before you search, buy, sell or export a meteorite, check the current law with the authorities of the country concerned or a qualified lawyer. See meteorite law by country.
Related pages
Glossary: Meteorite ownership, Export rules, Landowner permission, Provenance