If Korea deems a foreign incorporated company a Domestic Corporation, the company shall be taxed on its worldwide income. The relevant law, this determination is made under, is the Corporate Tax Act of Korea (“CTA”). In the typical case, the National Tax Service of Korea designates the foreign-incorporated company a Domestic Corporation and requests details on overseas earnings in order to impose taxes on overseas earnings. Of course this leads,
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.
Korean Tax Incentives for 2020: Korean Tax Law Updates
Because of increased tax liabilities of many companies in Korea and because of perceived deteriorating market conditions, the Korean government implemented programs that may assist some SMEs, and larger companies doing business in Korea. Numerous conditions apply for each of these incentive/abatement tax programs below. The following is, only, intended as a basic explanation of the programs that may be available to businesses operating in Korea. Tax Support for Investments
Continue readingKorea’s Virtual Assets/Cryptocurrency Law
For those who may not know, cryptocurrencies/virtual assets (the best known of them, at the moment, is Bitcoin), are digital representations of value that can be digitally traded or transferred. When holders are using these currencies the transaction, in short, the use is via Blockchains (in short, a decentralized databases). South Korea has been at the forefront of the global cryptocurrency boom and its spread has permeated through all levels of
Continue readingAmendment to the Korean Immigration Act Supports Foreign Children in Cases of Child Abuse
In early April 2019 the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee proposed an Amendment to the Immigration Act of Korea , with the facial purpose of implement more supportive regulations to assist foreign children that are victims of child abuse. Please note, unlike in the United States and some other Western countries, being born in Korea does not, automatically, grant you the right to Korean citizenship. The Amendment shall
Continue readingEmployment Support for Disabled Soldiers in the Line of Duty as per the Amended Korean Act on the Management of Civilian Personnel in the Military Service 2019
The bill on the Amendment to the Korean Act on the Management of Civilian Personnel in the Military Service (hereinafter as “Amendment to the Act on Civilian Personnel in the Military Service” or “Act”) was passed by the Korean National Assembly on March 28, 2019. The Act is intended to improve the financial and work-related recovery of Korean military soldiers, which are disabled by an injury during military service. History
Continue readingFleeing Korea while under Police/Prosecutor Investigation: International Hold in Korea
From changes a couple of years ago in the computer system and policy of the Korean Immigration Services, even if the Korean prosecution/police have not requested that an accused be placed on an International Hold, some records of police investigations, indictments and proposed fines and sentences by the prosecution/police are being reported to the Korean Immigration Service at airports and ports of departure. An International Hold, in Korea, is an
Continue readingIPG’s Sean Hayes Received the Highest Lawyer Rating from AVVO for his Work on International Legal Issues
IPG is proud to announce that Sean Hayes received the highest rating from AVVO. Avvo is an American attorney rating site and information portal. AVVO is one of the largest and most respected attorney rating sites in the United States. Sean, frequently, receives top ratings from legal rating services for his international law work. His law firm was, recently, rated South Korea’s Top Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year.
Continue readingKorean Workplace Discrimination Laws
There are numerous Korean labor and employment laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against their employees in a Korean workplace. These Korean workplace discrimination laws are found in a myriad of Korean statutes and regulations. This article on Korea’s discrimination laws shall provide a quick guide as to where employers and employees can locate the basic requirements under law. The major pieces of legislation are the following: the Korean Labor
Continue readingHow to Invest in Korean Free Economic Zones (KFEZs): Korean Market Entry
Korean Free Economic Zones (KFEZs) are specially designated areas designed to improve the business and living environments for foreign firms looking to invest in Korea. In 2003, Korea’s very first KFEZ was launched in Incheon following the passing of the adoption of the “Act on Designation and Management of the Free Economic Zones.” Since then an additional seven have begun operation, bringing the grand total of KFEZs in Korea to
Continue readingSuspending Korean Workers without Pay due to Economic Fallout from the Coronavirus: Korean Employment Law Basics
IPG has numerous client-employers in Korea that are facing serious economic conditions because of the spread of the coronavirus across Korea. In my nearly two decades, in Korea, we have never seen such a dire situation. This situation seems, on its face, even more dire for those in F & B and certain manufacturing sectors than the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis (IMF Crisis). Yes, I was even in Korea during
Continue readingLeading Commercial Arbitration Law Firm in Korea
IPG is one of the leading Korean law firms retained for international arbitration matters by multinational companies in need of efficient, proactive and non-conflicted advocacy in Korea, North America and East Asia. IPG was recently ranked as a top Dispute Resolution Law Firm. We work on complex international commercial arbitration disputes, investor-State arbitration disputes, construction arbitration disputes, and a myriad of other commercial disputes for international companies doing business in
Continue readingIPG Korea Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year
IPG’s Korean Office was awarded the distinction as the Korea Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the year by a well-known international business journal in the United Kingdom. The journal is known for producing tailored news and guides for multinational companies doing business in Asia, North America and Europe. IPG is thrilled that, based on feedback from a survey, our frankness, street-smart advice, non-conflicted advocacy and efficiencies created by a cutting-edge
Continue readingKorean Arbitration Basics: Links to Relevant Resources in Korea.
IPG, over the next couple of weeks, shall be updating readers of the The Korean Law Blog on issues concerning arbitration in Korea and against Korean companies. We have posted over a dozen articles to date. We shall be posting more article on arbitration over the next couple of weeks. This present post is simply a few arbitration-related links in Korea. We shall be updating this list when more useful
Continue readingKorean Statute of Limitation in Civil Cases in Korea
The period of the Korean statute of limitation varies based on the type of wrong/breach, type of parties to the case and details of the matter. The list below is a non-exclusive list of the major Korean Statute of Limitations. The following is an overview of the major periods of the statute of limitations in Korea. Statute of Limitation law is considered a part of the substantive law and not mere
Continue readingKorean Smart City Opportunities for Foreign and Domestic Companies Doing Business in Korea
The Korean government’s “2020 Smart Challenge” is officially rolling out with the Act on the Promotion of Smart City Development and Industry of Korea. The Act is coming into effect on Feb. 27, 2020. The Korean government is, specifically, launching three separate projects called: Korean City Challenge Open to large, SMEs and startup companies. Intended to encourage creative and technological solutions to problems in cities. Smart-mobility may be a large
Continue readingU.S. Franchise Law: Covenants Against Competition in Franchise Agreements
I just got my hands on the ABA’s book entitled Covenants Against Competition in Franchise Agreements edited by Michael R. Gray and Natalma M. McKnew. We work with a number of Korean and Chinese franchisors and I found the book an excellent tool for the tailoring of our franchise agreements to the specific States. The book, also, has decent chapters for Mexico and Canada. The book aforementioned along with the
Continue readingKorea prepares itself for Big Data-driven 4th Industrial Revolution: Korean Data Protection Laws Revised
On January 9, 2020, the National Assembly of Korea passed the “Three Data Act” of Korea. Implementation of the Act shall begin in June of 2020. The Korean Three Data Act iterates protections for, in general: personal information; information and communication; and business & individual credit information. IPG shall be writing more on this data protection issue over the next couple of months, please check back for more details. Three
Continue readingExpanding your business into Asia? Use Korea as a Test Bed
So you want to expand into China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia (Asia)? We here at IPG suggest considering Seoul, Korea as a Test Bed for your Asian expansion. The following article’s focus is on Luxury Goods and Fintech, but IPG believes that the Korean Market is, also, an excellent stepping off point for other industries including F & B, Defense, Franchise, Automotive, High Tech, New Tech, Retail and Fourth Industrial
Continue readingKorean Commercial Liens versus Korean Civil Liens
Korea, in short, has two major types of liens – Commercial Liens and a Civil Liens. For example, in a dispute between a contractor and a landowner or developer, a contractor make execute a Commercial Lien or Civil Lien. A Commercial Lien is governed by the Korean Commercial Code while a Civil Lien is governed by the Korean Civil Code. I shall for ease, utilize the contractor and landowner (developer)
Continue readingAvvo Top-Rated Lawyer: Sean Hayes
Avvo, a website that eases the challenge of finding the right lawyer, rated Sean Hayes at the top with the highest achievable score. This superb rating is significant in the fact that it is determined after taking various factors into consideration: experience, background, legal community recognition, legal thought leadership and discipline. Reiterating a little bit of his background: over his 16+ years in Korea, Sean is known for his aggressive
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