Legal Guides
Practical guides to Korean law for foreign residents — written to be useful whether or not you ever contact us.
Criminal Defense
Received a Police Summons
What a Korean police summons (출석요구) means for a foreigner: suspect vs. witness status, your rights at the interview, and how to prepare.
Reviewed 2026-08
Settlement (합의) in Criminal Cases
How hapui (합의), the Korean criminal settlement, actually works: when it ends a case, when it only helps, the deadline, and the mistakes to avoid.
Reviewed 2026-08
DUI in Korea
Korea's DUI limit is 0.03% BAC. Penalties by blood alcohol level, license suspension and revocation, test refusal, and the appeal deadlines that follow.
Reviewed 2026-08
Exit Bans During Investigation
How Korean exit bans and departure suspensions work for foreigners: the statutory grounds, time limits, why notice can be withheld, the 10-day objection, and what private debt cannot do.
Reviewed 2026-09
Coming Back With a Case Still Open
Left Korea with a police matter open? The file is suspended, not closed; the limitation clock can stop; the file may carry a warrant or a notice. What the border does, and what to do before you fly.
Reviewed 2026-10
Filing a Criminal Complaint From Abroad
How to file a Korean criminal complaint from abroad: filing through a representative, the police investigation, the 3-month and 30-day review deadlines, compensation orders, and what needs you in Korea.
Reviewed 2026-10
The Police Interview: Your Rights and Interpreters
Inside a Korean police interview: silence and counsel rights, the record you sign, interpreter rules for foreigners, video recording, and the time limits.
Reviewed 2026-08
Summary Orders (약식명령) and Formal Trial
What a Korean summary order is, the 7-day window to demand a formal trial, whether the fine can rise if you contest, and what happens if you pay — or do nothing.
Reviewed 2026-08
Civil Litigation
You've Been Served: First 30 Days
Served with Korean court papers? How to tell a complaint from a payment order, the 30-day answer, the 2-week objection windows, and how default judgments happen.
Reviewed 2026-08
Certified Content Mail (내용증명)
What Korean certified content mail (내용증명) actually does: proof of content and date, the 6-month escalation rule, how to write one, and when to skip it.
Reviewed 2026-08
Payment Orders (지급명령)
Korea's payment order (지급명령): a fast, cheap court order for undisputed money claims — how it works, the 2-week objection, and when a lawsuit is better.
Reviewed 2026-08
Statutes of Limitations
Korean limitation periods: 10 years by default, 5 for commercial claims, 3 for wages, 1 for some debts — when the clock starts, what interrupts it, and what happens after it expires.
Reviewed 2026-08
What Litigation Costs in Korea
Korean litigation costs explained: the filing-fee formula with worked examples, service deposits, appraisal expenses, the loser-pays rule and its ceiling, and litigation aid.
Reviewed 2026-08
Served With a Korean Lawsuit While Abroad
How a Korean civil case proceeds against a defendant abroad: service through consulates, service by public notice and its 2-week/2-month effect, what the judgment can reach, and the 30-day late appeal.
Reviewed 2026-10
Real Estate & Lease
Getting Your Housing Deposit Back
How to get your housing deposit back in Korea: the notice deadlines, the lease registration order (임차권등기명령), and when a lawsuit is worth filing.
Reviewed 2026-08
Jeonse, Explained
What jeonse (전세) is, how Korea's lump-sum deposit lease compares to wolse, and the steps that keep your deposit safe — explained for foreign residents.
Reviewed 2026-08
Your Tenant Stopped Paying — and You're Abroad
What a landlord abroad can do about a non-paying tenant in Korea: the two-months' rent termination rule, the eviction lawsuit and bailiff, collecting arrears, and what truly needs you there.
Reviewed 2026-10
You Left Korea Without Your Deposit
Left Korea with your housing deposit unpaid? The claim survives for 10 years. What leverage you lost, how a lease registration order still helps, and how to collect from abroad.
Reviewed 2026-10
Lease Registration Order (임차권등기명령)
How to get a lease registration order in Korea: when you qualify, filing step by step (self-filing included), costs recoverable from the landlord, and what to verify before moving out.
Reviewed 2026-08
Move-Out Checklist and Deadlines
Moving out of a Korean lease: notice deadlines, the deposit-first order of operations, repair-reserve refunds, utility settlement, and the 15-day address rule.
Reviewed 2026-08
Reading a Korean Lease Before Signing
How to read a Korean lease before signing: matching the register, the special clauses (특약) that decide disputes, the landlord's tax certificates, and the agent's duties.
Reviewed 2026-08
Debt Collection
Someone Owes You Money in Korea
Recovering a debt in Korea: the demand-to-enforcement sequence, court-ordered asset disclosure under oath, bank and registry searches, the defaulters' list, and the fraud question.
Reviewed 2026-08
Provisional Attachment (가압류)
How a Korean provisional attachment freezes bank accounts and property before judgment — requirements, security deposits, the 2-week execution window, and how to respond if you're frozen.
Reviewed 2026-09
Enforcing a Judgment (강제집행)
How compulsory execution works in Korea: the enforceable title, seizing bank accounts and wages, collection vs. assignment orders, real-estate auctions, and debtor protections.
Reviewed 2026-09
Divorce & Family
Divorce in Korea: Consensual vs. Judicial
The two routes to divorce in Korea — the consensual process and its cooling-off period, the six judicial grounds, mediation, and the deadlines around money.
Reviewed 2026-08
Which Country's Court?
When Korean courts can hear an international divorce, which country's law applies under the statutory ladder, and how foreign divorces are recognized in Korea.
Reviewed 2026-08
Paternity and Child Support From Abroad
Living abroad with a child whose Korean father pays nothing? Korean courts have jurisdiction, can declare paternity and order DNA testing, and enforce support through wage deductions and sanctions. What needs a trip.
Reviewed 2026-10
Consensual vs. Mediated Divorce
Both routes need agreement. Consensual divorce confirms the divorce after a cooling-off period; mediated divorce records property, support and custody in one enforceable document, with no waiting period.
Reviewed 2026-11
Divorcing a Korean Spouse From Abroad
Living abroad with a spouse in Korea? Consensual divorce needs you in court twice. Mediated or judicial divorce runs through counsel, and the mediation record can settle property, support and cross-border visitation in one enforceable document.
Reviewed 2026-11
Property Division Basics
How property division works in a Korean divorce: what counts as marital property, how contribution sets shares, pensions, hidden assets, and the 2-year limit.
Reviewed 2026-08
Child Custody in International Marriages
How Korean courts decide custody in international families: the welfare standard, custody vs. parental authority, cross-border visitation, and the Hague rules.
Reviewed 2026-08
Child Support: How Amounts Are Set
How Korean child support is set: the court guidelines table, the income-ratio split, changing the amount, and the enforcement ladder from salary deduction to exit bans.
Reviewed 2026-08
Labor & Employment
Unpaid Wages: Labor Office vs. Lawsuit
What to do about unpaid wages in Korea: the 14-day rule, the labor office complaint, the government wage fund (대지급금), free legal aid, and the 3-year deadline.
Reviewed 2026-08
Severance Pay: Who Qualifies
Korea's statutory severance: a month's average pay per year worked. Who qualifies (1 year, 15 hours/week), the freelancer question, IRP accounts, and E-9 insurance.
Reviewed 2026-08
The Unfair Dismissal Standard
Unfair dismissal in Korea: the just-cause rule, the written-notice rule, the 3-month Labor Relations Commission deadline, and the under-5-employee exception.
Reviewed 2026-08
Unpaid Wages After Leaving Korea
Left Korea with wages or severance unpaid? The claim lasts 3 years, but the wage fund needs a complaint within 1 year. Filing through a representative, E-9 departure insurance, and what needs you in Korea.
Reviewed 2026-10