Article 1(Purpose) #
The purpose of this Act is to promote public interest activities of non-profit, non-governmental organizations and to contribute to the development of a democratic society by guaranteeing their voluntary activities and supporting their growth into sound civil organizations.
Article 2(Definition) #
For the purposes of this Act, the term "non-profit, non-governmental organization" means a private organization whose main purpose is not to make a profit, but to perform public interest activities, satisfying the requirements falling under the following subparagraphs: <Amended on May 29, 2016>
1. Direct beneficiaries of its business shall be many and unspecified persons;
2. No profit shall be distributed among its members;
3. It has not been actually established or operated primarily to back, support or oppose any specific political party or candidate in election or to spread a creed of any specific religion;
4. The number of its regular members shall be at least 100;
5. It has actual results from public interest activities for the preceding one year or more;
6. Where it is not a juristic person but an organization, it shall have a representative or manager.
Article 3(Basic Directions) #
The State or local governments shall respect unique fields of activities of non-profit, non-governmental organizations and actively endeavor to enable them to participate in public interest activities by demonstrating their own creativity and expertise.
Article 4(Registration) #
(1) Any non-profit, non-governmental organization that intends to receive support determined by this Act shall apply for its registration with the head of a central administrative agency, with the Special Metropolitan City Mayor, a Metropolitan City Mayor, a Special Self-Governing City Mayor, a Do Governor, or a Special Self-Governing Province Governor (hereinafter referred to as a "Mayor/Do Governor"), or with the head of a large city with a population of at least one million persons (hereinafter referred to as "Special Si") under Article 198 (2) 1 of the Local Autonomy Act who supervises its main public interest activities; and the head of a central administrative agency, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si upon receipt of such application for registration shall accept such registration. <Amended on Aug. 13, 2013; Apr. 26, 2022>
(2) Where any non-profit, non-governmental organization has been registered pursuant to paragraph (1), the head of a central administrative agency, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si shall not only post such fact in the Official Gazette or public gazette but also notify the Minister of the Interior and Safety of such fact. The same shall apply where the registration is changed. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Aug. 13, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 4-2(Cancellation of Registration) #
(1) The head of a central administrative agency, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si may cancel the registration of any non-profit, non-governmental organization registered under Article 4, when it fails to satisfy the requirements for non-profit, non-governmental organizations prescribed under Article 2. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
(2) The head of a central administrative agency, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si who has canceled the registration shall publish such cancellation in the Official Gazette or public gazette without delay and notify the Minister of the Interior and Safety of such fact. <Amended on Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(3) Where the head of a central administrative agency, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si intends to cancel the registration under Article 1, he or she shall hold a hearing prescribed in the Administrative Procedures Act. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
[This Article Newly Inserted on May 29, 2016]
Article 5(Assistance for Non-Profit, Non-Governmental Organization) #
(1) Autonomy shall be guaranteed to activities of non-profit, non-governmental organizations.
(2) The Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si may provide necessary administrative assistance and financial support determined by this Act to non-profit, non-governmental organizations that participate in public interest activities. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 6(Subsidization) #
(1) The Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si may subsidize a non-profit, non-governmental organization registered pursuant to Article 4 (1) (hereinafter referred to as "registered non-profit, non-governmental organization") to help cover expenses incurred in promoting a project for public interest activities (hereinafter referred to as "public interest business") other than business to which a subsidy is granted pursuant to other Acts. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
(2) Subsidies to cover expenses under paragraph (1) shall, in principle, be granted within the scope of business costs. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
(3) Unless otherwise provided in this Act, the Subsidy Management Act shall apply mutatis mutandis to subsidies granted pursuant to paragraph (1). <Amended on May 18, 2015; Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 7(Selection of Business to Support) #
(1) The Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si shall identify social demand for assistance for public interest business in which registered non-profit, non-governmental organizations can participate each year and determine the type of public interest business that he or she may assist pursuant to Article 6 according to standards prescribed by Presidential Decree. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(2) The Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si shall determine an individual business and amount to support as determined by the Committee for Selection of Public Interest Business among public interest business falling under the type of business referred to in paragraph (1). In such cases, the selection of an individual business to support shall, in principle, be made in an open and competitive manner. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(3) The Committee for Selection of Public Interest Business under paragraph (2) shall be comprised of three persons recommended by the Speaker of the National Assembly or the council chairperson of the relevant Special Metropolitan City, Metropolitan City, Special Self-Governing City, Do, Special Self-Governing Province, or Special Si and the related experts recommended by registered non-profit, non-governmental organizations. <Amended on Jun. 9, 2020; Apr. 26, 2022>
(4) The Minister of the Interior and Safety shall prepare detailed standards for selection, including the matters specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) each year, and publicly announce them or notify the registered non-profit, non-governmental organization thereof by January 31. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Aug. 13, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(5) Necessary matters concerning the qualifications of members, composition and operation of the Committee for Selection of Public Interest Business under paragraph (2) shall be prescribed by Presidential Decree. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 8(Submission of Business Plan) #
When a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization intends to be granted a subsidy in order to promote any public interest business, it shall submit a business plan, specifying the purpose and details of the business, expenses incurred and other necessary matters, by not later than the end of February of the relevant fiscal year to the Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Aug. 13, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Jun. 9, 2020; Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 9(Submission of Business Report) #
(1) When a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization has completed the business according to the business plan under Article 8, it shall prepare a business report by not later than January 31 of the following fiscal year and submit such report to the Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Aug. 13, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; May 18, 2015; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(2) The Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si who receives a business report under paragraph (1) shall perform the evaluation of the relevant business, and disclose the major details of the business report, including performance and outcomes of the business, details of business expenditure, etc., and results of the evaluation on the Website, etc. <Newly Inserted on May 18, 2015; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(3) Matters necessary for the evaluation of the business, and disclosure of a business report and evaluation results under paragraph (2) shall be prescribed by the Ordinance of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. <Newly Inserted on May 18, 2015; Jul. 26, 2017>
[Title Amended on May 18, 2015]
Article 10(Tax Reduction or Exemption) #
Any registered non-profit, non-governmental organization may be subject to tax reduction or exemption in accordance with Act on Restriction on Special Cases concerning Taxation and other tax-related statutes. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 11(Subsidization of Postal Charges) #
Necessary postal matters for the public interest activities of a registered non-profit, non-governmental organizations may be subject to partial reduction of postal charges, and the matters concerning its details and scope shall be prescribed by Presidential Decree. <Amended on Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 12(Recovery of Subsidies) #
(1) The Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si shall recover the subsidies from non-profit, non-governmental organizations that have been granted such subsidies by stating false information in a business plan or by other wrongful means. The same shall apply where the subsidy granted has been used for any purpose other than that stated in the relevant business plan. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
(2) Where the Minister of the Interior and Safety, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Special Si recovers a subsidy under paragraph (1), if any non-profit, non-governmental organization that should return such subsidy fails to return it within any prescribed period, he or she shall collect it in the same manner as forced collection of national taxes or disposition on delinquent local taxes. <Amended on Feb. 29, 2008; Mar. 23, 2013; Nov. 19, 2014; Jul. 26, 2017; Apr. 26, 2022>
Article 12-2(Legal Fiction as Public Officials for Purposes of Applying Penalty Provisions) #
A person other than a public official among the members of the Committee for Selection of Public Interest Business under Article 7 (2) shall be deemed a public official for purposes of applying penalty provisions under Articles 129 through 132 of the Criminal Act.
[This Article Newly Inserted on May 18, 2015]
Article 13(Penalty Provisions) #
(1) Any person who states any false information in a business plan or is granted a subsidy by other wrongful means shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not more than five years or by a fine not exceeding 30 million won. <Amended on Oct. 15, 2014>
(2) Any person who uses a subsidy for any purpose other than that stated in the relevant business plan shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not more than three years or by a fine not exceeding 20 million won. <Amended on Oct. 15, 2014>