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Epitychia
Cross-Border · Korea
Cross-border · Korea → United States

US payment rails
for Korean exporters.

Wyoming LLC, US office address, US merchant processing, and in-house cross-border settlement to your bank in Korea. Built for K-beauty brands, Korean electronics exporters, and direct-to-consumer operators scaling into the US market — operated end to end by one party. No introductions, no hand-offs, no spread to a third-party specialist.

You operate from Seoul, Busan, Incheon, or another Korean city. Your brand is real — K-beauty product line, premium electronics, fashion-forward apparel, specialty F&B, or technology hardware. Your US opportunity is meaningful: a market 6x the size of Korea's, AOV that runs higher, cultural openness to Korean brands that has only grown. To capture the consumer margin yourself — not the margin Amazon takes, not the margin the US distributor takes — you need US payment rails in your own name. We build that stack and operate it end to end, in-house.

Why this matters now

The Korean consumer brand opportunity in the US is structural and accelerating. K-beauty alone is a $13B US category and growing 15%+ annually. K-food, K-fashion, K-wellness, and Korean electronics are following the same trajectory. Korean operators have proven they can build premium product, premium brand, and direct-to-consumer expertise that works in the US. What stops most of them is the payment-rails problem: how to actually accept US cards and ACH in your own name, with settlement back to your Korean bank, without depending on Amazon or a US distributor for the customer relationship.

Three things make this hard. First, US acquirers tightened underwriting on foreign-owned LLCs across the board. Second, Stripe is unstable for Korean-owned LLCs in higher-touch consumer categories — beauty in particular has return-rate dynamics that trigger automated risk reviews. Third, Korean banking compliance (FETA reporting, FX transaction documentation) creates friction for operators trying to repatriate US revenue without the right settlement structure. We solve all three. We hold the banks, we operate the processing, we run the FX corridor in-house, and we structure repatriation with the FETA documentation Korean banks need.

What you actually need

  1. A US legal entity. Wyoming LLC is the standard answer. Delaware is the right answer only for institutional fundraising. For Korean-owned operating brands selling direct to US consumers, Wyoming.
  2. An EIN. Non-residents can obtain an EIN without an SSN. We file the SS-4 by fax — 2–4 weeks instead of 10–14 weeks by mail.
  3. A real US business address. Real coworking, real mail handling. Mail-forwarder addresses get flagged and your application gets declined.
  4. A US business bank account. Opened in-house through our own banking partners. Korean passport documentation clears onboarding the first time.
  5. A US merchant processing account. We are the processor. Underwriting, placement, descriptor, chargeback prevention, MCC alignment — in-house.
  6. A cross-border settlement corridor. USD in, KRW or USD-held out to your Korean bank, with FETA-compliant documentation. The corridor is in-house. No intermediary takes a spread.

Korean banking and FETA considerations

Korea regulates foreign exchange transactions through the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act and supporting Bank of Korea guidance. Inbound USD into a Korean bank account from a foreign source must be reported and categorized — typically as export-of-service, repatriation of profit, or intercompany transfer. The reporting is routine if structured correctly, but operators who skip the categorization discipline have their inbound transfers held pending Bank of Korea clarification, which can delay settlement 7–21 days.

We structure each settlement with:

  • The correct FETA transaction code on the inbound wire
  • Supporting documentation tied to the underlying commercial activity
  • An auditable trail back to the originating US transactions

Your Korean accountant handles the resulting tax treatment; we make sure the wire clears without friction every time.

Why Wyoming specifically

  • No state income tax, no franchise tax. Annual maintenance approximately $60. Delaware is $300+.
  • Strong member privacy. Wyoming does not publish member names on the public record.
  • Banking acceptance. Our in-house banking partners have explicit non-resident-owned Wyoming-LLC onboarding flows for Korean passport holders.
  • No SSN required. Wyoming accepts the EIN as the tax-identification field.
  • Easy dissolution. Wyoming LLCs wind down in 30–60 days if your strategy changes.

The package — what we deliver

  • Wyoming LLC formation through a registered agent in our network.
  • US business address in Wyoming with physical mail handling, phone, address verification.
  • US business bank account opened through our in-house banking channel.
  • Merchant processing on our own rails — underwriting, placement, descriptor, chargeback prevention.
  • Cross-border settlement corridor — USD in, KRW or USD-held out to your home bank, with FETA-compliant documentation.
  • Compliance pre-flight — MCC selection, descriptor language, chargeback protocol, refund policy.
  • Tax-structure introduction — US-Korea cross-border tax specialist for ongoing federal and state filings, treaty positioning, and credit allocation.

Verticals we handle

  • K-beauty and skincare — premium lines, indie brands, K-derm-tested formulations.
  • K-fashion and accessories — DTC brands, streetwear, fashion-forward apparel.
  • Korean electronics and tech — consumer electronics, smart home, audio accessories.
  • K-food and beverage — specialty foods, beverages, K-snacks, premium teas.
  • K-pop and entertainment merchandise — apparel, collectibles, photobooks, IP-licensed goods.
  • Korean wellness and supplements — adaptogens, traditional formulations, K-derm wellness.
  • B2B electronics components — commercial card and ACH volume.
  • Higher-risk categories — placement available with specialized acquirers.

Timeline and pricing

Engagement: 4–8 weeks from engagement letter to first live transaction. Setup fees: USD $4,000 to $12,000 depending on complexity. Ongoing processing rates meet or beat Stripe's published US rates. You stay in Korea. We handle every US-side touchpoint, in-house, end to end.

Common questions · Korea → US

Direct answers from operators who place this stack weekly.

Do I need to leave Korea to set this up?
No. Wyoming LLC, EIN, US business address, US banking, and merchant processing placement all happen remotely. Operators in Seoul, Busan, and Incheon run this exact structure without traveling to the US. Your Korean operating company stays where it is. The Wyoming LLC sits alongside it as a US operating arm focused on the US consumer market.
Can I settle to my Korean bank in KRW?
Yes. Our payment system accepts USD on the front end, converts on the back end, and settles to your bank in Korea in KRW or USD-held. The corridor is in-house. No third-party FX specialist takes a spread. Korean banking regulations on inbound foreign currency are well-established and predictable; we structure the settlement flow to comply with Foreign Exchange Transaction Act (FETA) reporting and to use the export-of-service categorization where applicable.
Why does this matter for a Korean brand specifically?
K-beauty has redefined what global consumer brands can look like. Korean operators built premium product lines, fanatical brand communities, and direct-to-consumer expertise that compounds in the US market — where AOV is higher, the addressable market is 6x Korea's, and the cultural openness to Korean brands has never been stronger. The same dynamic applies to Korean electronics, K-food, K-fashion, and Korean wellness brands. To capture the US consumer margin (not the margin Amazon takes, not the margin the US distributor takes), you need US payment rails in your own name. We build that stack.
How long does the full setup take?
Four to eight weeks. Wyoming LLC formation: 1–3 business days. EIN for a non-resident with a non-US address: 2–4 weeks via fax filing. US business address: 1 week. US banking through our in-house channel with Korean passport documentation: 1–2 weeks in parallel. Merchant processing underwriting and placement: 2–4 weeks. Most engagements process their first live transaction within 6 weeks of the engagement letter.
How much does it cost?
Setup engagement: USD $4,000 to $12,000 depending on complexity (vertical risk, multi-entity structures, volume scale, settlement preferences). Ongoing processing rates meet or beat Stripe's published US rates. Korean-owned operators we onboard typically save 80–200 basis points versus the foreign-owner premium aggregators would quote. Full pricing model shared on the strategy call.
I sell on Amazon US, Sephora, and a US distributor. Why do I need this?
Marketplace and distributor channels get you US shelf space, but each channel takes meaningful margin and owns the customer relationship. The most valuable K-beauty brands in the US are the ones running both — distributor for retail credibility, direct for margin and customer ownership. Direct requires US merchant processing in your own name. The hybrid is standard for the brands we onboard: Amazon and distributors for breadth, your own US-domiciled DTC channel for depth and margin.
Why not just use Stripe?
Stripe is excellent for US-resident-owned businesses. For Korean-owned LLCs in beauty, supplements, and electronics — categories where return rates are structural and chargeback volume is meaningful — Stripe is unstable. Account terminations without warning, funds held 90–180 days, reinstatement rare. We offer the same or better pricing on a payment rail underwritten by humans who want your business class. Integration is a few weeks instead of an afternoon — that is the trade-off, in exchange for processing that does not vanish when your first chargeback wave hits.
K-beauty has higher return rates than most categories. How does that affect placement?
Acquirers know beauty has elevated return and chargeback rates — particularly in skincare, where "did not work for my skin" disputes are baseline. We place K-beauty brands with acquirers whose risk appetite matches the category, structure the descriptor for clear product recognition, install Ethoca and Verifi alerts to resolve disputes before they become chargebacks, and align refund policy with cardholder expectations. K-beauty brands on our rails typically run 0.5–0.8% chargeback ratios — well below the 1% threshold that triggers VAMP/VDMP enrollment.
What about Korean tax obligations on US-source income?
Korea taxes worldwide income of Korean residents, so income earned through a US LLC owned by a Korean resident is potentially Korean-taxable in addition to any US tax obligations. The US-Korea tax treaty governs allocation. For most Korean-owned LLCs operating as disregarded entities, the foreign owner is taxed on US-source effectively-connected income under the treaty position, with credits available for US tax paid against Korean tax owed on the same income. This is tax-specialist territory; we route to a US-Korea cross-border tax specialist during setup. The payment processing side is independent.
I run a K-pop adjacent or entertainment brand — merchandise, licensing, collectibles. Does this work?
Yes. Entertainment merchandise (apparel, collectibles, photobooks, accessories tied to artist IP) is straightforward consumer goods from a processing perspective. The only nuance is licensing chain documentation — acquirers occasionally request proof you have rights to sell the IP-linked merchandise. We package that documentation as part of the application so it is not a back-and-forth during underwriting. Live event ticketing and digital fan-club subscriptions are different products with different underwriting; we can place those too but the setup is more involved.
I am exporting Korean electronics components B2B. Do I need this?
Depends on your customer mix. If 100% of your US revenue is B2B via wire transfer, you do not need US merchant processing. If any portion is B2B via commercial card or ACH, the stack pays for itself. Commercial card volume qualifies for Level 2 / Level 3 interchange optimization, which recovers 30–80 basis points on commercial card transactions — meaningful for component businesses with high-velocity purchase orders.
What does the engagement look like week by week?
Week 1: pre-screening questionnaire → 45-minute strategy call → engagement letter signed. Week 2: Wyoming LLC formed, EIN application filed, US address activated, in-house banking onboarding initiated. Week 3: banking live, merchant account underwriting package assembled and submitted on our internal rails. Week 4: merchant account placed, cross-border settlement corridor activated — USD in, KRW or USD-held out to your home bank. Week 5: gateway integration, descriptor finalization, soft launch with a controlled volume cap. Week 6 onward: scale-up, monitoring, optimization. You stay in Korea. We handle every US-side touchpoint, in-house, end to end.
Engagement · Korea → US

Tell us about your operation.

A short pre-screening — your vertical, your volume, your home bank, your timeline. We respond within one business day with a clear next step.

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