In an article that appeared in The Register, it was reported that legislators in Korea are proposing a law that aims to break the monopolies of App Stores such as Google and Apple. In-app purchase (IAP) is defined by Real Simple as “any fee (beyond the initial cost of downloading the app, if there is one) an app may ask for.” Currently Google and Apple require their app developers to
Continue readingAuthor: Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean employed as a foreign attorney by the Korean Court System (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a full-time regular member of a Korean law faculty. He is rated a Top Attorney by numerous legal rating agencies and is known for his street-smart advice, candor and aggressive & non-conflicted advocacy. Sean has been quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNN, Money Today, US Today, The Korea Times, The Korea Herald, France 24, Asia Legal Business and other leading news sources. IPG was, recently, rated a top Dispute Resolution Law Firm and Sean a Top 100 Lawyer for International Law.
How Foreign Companies and Individuals can Collect Debts from Debtors in South Korea?
Many foreigners, both companies and individuals, seek our advice on how they can effectively collect debts from debtors with assets, businesses and/or residences in Korea. The following article details the major means of collecting on a debt in Korea. Collecting a Debt in South Korea from a Korean Debtor Hire an Experienced English-Speaking Korean Law FirmIt is crucial that you hire a Korean law firm with experience in collecting on
Continue readingInternational Child Abduction in Korea: Removing a Child Back to the Country of Residence of the Custodial Parent via the Korean Courts Explained
On March 1, 2013, South Korea adopted and ratified The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (concluded 25 October 1980). The main goal of the Hague Child Abduction Treaty is to protect children under the age of 16 from being illegally removed or wrongfully retained in a signatory state. The Hague Child Abduction Treaty, in short, empowers courts and government to allow a parent to return
Continue readingHow to Appeal a Korean Deportation Order or Exit Order?
If you are issued a deportation order or exit order by the Korean Immigration Service, you still have avenues to reverse this deportation order or exit order. The main thing you need to, immediately, do is contact an experienced lawyer and get the lawyer all information asked for by the lawyer as soon as possible. A foreign national may challenge an Deportation Order or exit order of Korean Immigration Service by
Continue readingDefamation on the Internet is a Criminal Offense in Korea
“Think before you click” is a social media campaign in Korea. Please note the truth is not an absolute defense to defamation in Korea. Additionally, defamation can lead to civil and criminal liability. The following article details Defamation Crimes and potential penalties. If you are interested to read more about defamation, please read our other articles at: Defamation on Trial and Definition of Defamation in Korea. The two primary laws
Continue readingKorea has 4th Highest Number of International Patent Applications in the World
The Korean Intellectual Property Office made an announcement that South Korea has surpassed Germany and became the number four country in the world in international patent application to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The first spot is taken by China, followed by U.S. and Japan for the second place and third place respectively. Last year, also, saw another record-breaking milestone as South Korea exceeded the 20,000 mark for the
Continue readingOnline Immigration Visit Reservation System to be Implemented in All Immigration Offices starting April 1, 2021
On March 8, 2021, Minister Park Beom Kye of the Ministry of Justice made an announcement that the online visit reservation system shall be implemented in all Immigration Offices starting April 1, 2021. We believe this system shall expedite the visa processing system. According to the Ministry of Justice, this system shall not, only, reduce long lines and waiting time of visitors, it will also ensure proper social distancing in
Continue readingMinimum Wage Increased in South Korea for 2021: Employment Law Update
The Ministry of Employment and Labor of South Korea has increased the minimum hourly wage by 1.5% for 2021 to KRW 8,720.00 compared to the 2020 minimum hourly wage of KRW 8,590.00. This new minimum hourly wage took effect on January 01, 2021. Moreover, in accordance with the hourly wage increase, the new minimum monthly wage, based on 209 working hours per month, will now be KRW 1,822,480.00 per month.
Continue readingUncontested Divorce vs Contested Divorce in South Korea
Divorce in South Korea is governed by Korea’s Civil Code and it is divided into two types. The first one is uncontested divorces which are also known as a “divorce by agreement.” This type of divorce, as the name implies, requires agreement of the husband and wife that they wish to divorce. The second type of divorce is the contested divorce also called as “judicial divorce.” This type of divorce
Continue readingWrongful Termination in South Korea
South Korea is not an “at-will” employment country which means that employer may not dismiss an employee for any reason nor without warning or notice. And under the Labor Standard Act, an employer who has five or more employees may not dismiss or suspend from work any of its employee without justifiable cause. And even with the presence of justifiable cause for dismissal, the employer is still required to give
Continue readingWhat Do You Need To Know About Severance Pay in South Korea?
Severance pay (retirement pay) is the compensation that an employee is entitled to receive from his employer once the employment has ended. And under Employee Retirement Benefit Security Act, a regular full-time employee in South Korea shall receive a severance pay within 14 days from termination of employment. The amount of severance pay is equal to employee’s one month salary for every year of consecutive service. For similar articles, you
Continue readingWhistleblower Protections and Laws in South Korea
South Korea has various legislations that protect and give rewards to whistleblowers: Act on the Prevention of Corruption, Tax Whistleblower Reward Program, and Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers. But for this article, we are going to focus on Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers (“Act”) which took effect on September 30, 2011. The main purpose of this Act is to make sure that whistleblowers who
Continue readingSouth Korea to Impose Taxes on Cryptocurrency in 2022
The Ministry of Economy and Finance confirmed that on the 1st of January 2022, profit from cryptocurrencies shall be subject to a 20% tax. And gifts and inheritance in the form of cryptocurrencies shall be taxed by the same rate of 20%. Exempted from Cryptocurrency Tax Any profit, gift and/or inheritance worth 2.5 million won and below will be exempted from the cryptocurrency tax. And only the profit, gift or
Continue readingAdhesion Contract in South Korea: Regulating Unfair Terms and Conditions
Adhesion Contract is a contract drafted by a party with stronger bargaining power and signed by a party with lesser bargaining power. The party that has weaker bargaining power does not have the capacity to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract and they just adhere completely to what the party with the upper hand has to offer. In South Korea, in order to avoid such unfair one-way contract
Continue readingTips for Start-up Success in Korea: Korean Business Basics
Despite the economic challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, there are still plenty of opportunities for start-up companies in South Korea. Many of the long-term foreign attorneys in Korea shall advise that South Korea remains a perfect testbed for foreign companies in the East Asian marketplace. Local and national governments remain committed to fostering long-term partnerships with foreign start-ups within Korea. The attorneys at IPG Legal have put together a
Continue readingChild Support Basics in South Korea
As we’ve mentioned in our previous post “Obtaining Child Support from a Deadbeat Korean Father (Mother)”, for the past few years we noticed a huge increase in children born out-of-wedlock from foreign national mothers and Korean fathers. And because of this incident Korean court also witnesses rising lawsuits seeking child support against Korean fathers. Under Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payment or Act No. 12532 as amended by
Continue readingKorea’s Class Action Law Proposed by Moon Administration
Class action lawsuits in South Korea are currently available in two types of civil cases: (1) under the Securities-Related Class Action Act of Korea (derivative/shareholder suits); and (2) in certain limited product liability matters under the Consumer Act of Korea. A bill that seeks to expand the scope of class actions into other areas, aside from the two instances above, has languished for years in the Korean National Assembly. However,
Continue readingJapan is Ordered to Pay Damages to former “Comfort Women”
In a historic ruling made by a South Korean court on January 8, 2021, it awarded 100 million won or around US$90,000 damages to each 12 plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are a group of former 12 Korean “comfort women” who were employed as sex workers in brothels during the Japanese occupation that spans from 1910 until 1945. The Seoul Central District Court also issued the compensation order accompanied by a provisional
Continue readingFiling for a Patent in Korea: Basics of Korean Patent Law
Over the next couple of months, lawyers here at IPG Legal shall provide detailed insight and analysis of the Patent Laws of Korea. The following post details the basics of filing for a patent in South Korea. Individuals or companies can register for patents through the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). The application and registration of patents is governed by the Korean Patent Act (“the Act”). In most cases, patents
Continue readingCan Foreigners buy Real Property in Korea? Korean Real Estate Law for Non-Korean Residents and Non-Residents
Unlike some Asian countries that do not allow or strictly limit foreign ownership of real properties, South Korea has a buoyant market that permits foreigners to purchase real estate and even land in Korea. The major restrictions on ownership of real estate for non-Koreans was lifted during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis based on the advice of the IMF. The lifting of these restrictions, led, in part, to a commercial
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