A recent case IPG Legal handled sheds light on how you can lose your status/visa and all rights and privileges under the KOR-US Status of Forces Agreement (“SOFA”). IPG Legal is the most experienced highly-rated law firm in Korea handling criminal matters for expats. Cancelation of SOFA Status The defendant, a male U.S. citizen, signed an International Assignment Agreement to work under the SOFA as an employee of a defense contractor contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense. The defendant was stationed to a U.S. Air Force
Continue readingCategory: International Law
Leading Korean Child Abduction Lawyer’s Advice for Parents to Avoid Child Abduction and Prevail in Child Abduction Cases in Korea
The following article is written by Attorney Jiwon MIN. Attorney Min is one of the leading Korean lawyers handling Family Law, Custody and Child Abduction matters in Korea for expats. She, recently, prevailed for her client in the most noteworthy chase on Hague Abduction Convention cases in the history Korea. Attorney Min handles the largest and most noteworthy Child Abduction, contentious Child Custody and contentious Divorce Cases in Korea. She attended law school in Korea and in New York City. Attorney Min is the head of IPG
Continue readingKorea May Amend its Inheritance Tax System in 2025
Korea has one of the highest effective inheritance tax rates in the world and one of the most complicated inheritance processes in the world. The present Korean Administration, realizing this reality, is attempting to amend Korean law to place the Korean Inheritance System more in line with international norms and to lower the effective tax burden on inheritors. IPG Legal is looking forward to a comprehensive amendment, also, to the laws related to the Korean legal reserve of inheritance based on recent Korean court precedent. One peculiar
Continue readingKorean Forum Non-Conveniens Doctrine under Korea’s Private International Law Act
The main law that governs international jurisdiction over cases in Korean courts is Korea’s Private International Law Act. A major amendment to the Act became law in July 2022. The prior law was criticized for leaving too much discretion to courts and not providing detailed rules regarding the application of international jurisdictional norms to Korean jurisprudence. The prior Korean Private International Law Act contained, only, one Article related to jurisdiction, while the present act contains 35 detailed provisions on international jurisdiction. One of the major revisions is
Continue readingIPG Legal Prevails for an American Father in a Korean Child Abduction Case against a Korean Mother
IPG Legal prevailed for an American Father against a Korean Mother who abducted children from America. The American father hired IPG Legal to assist in the return of the children to California via Korean Law and the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction. IPG Legal’s team included a retired senior Korean court judge, senior litigators, and internationally experienced attorneys. The Mother hired one of the largest ubiquitous Korean law firms and other Korean law firms to defend the Mother against the abduction charges. IPG
Continue readingKorean Commercial Arbitration Boards New International Mediation Rules
The Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (“KCAB”) in a move to encourage more international mediation at the KCAB has adopted International Medication Rules. The International Mediation Rules of the KCAB are effective as of January 1, 2024. The KCAB is the, only, statutorily-authorized arbitration board in Korea. For an article on arbitration in Korea, please see Arbitration in Korea at the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board and an Introduction to Korean Arbitration. The International Mediation Rules of the KCAB are a reaction to the growth in mediation and adoption
Continue readingLanguage Supremacy Clauses in Korean Agreements Governed by Korean Law
A language supremacy clause dictates what language governs the interpretation of a contract. Many international contracts are drafted in multiple languages. However, because of the complexity of legal terms, lack of precision in certain languages, the nature of language translation, and other local realities it is best to choose a governing language to avoid the issue of an alleged discrepancy between the Korean and English-language versions of the contract. In most cases, we advise choosing English as the governing language in a Korean contract if one party
Continue readingForming a Joint Venture in Korea, China & Southeast Asia: Listen to My Mother
My mother often told me, when I was much younger, to look both ways before crossing the street; carry an umbrella in the spring; and don’t go out alone in the dark. The advice can go a long way for Korean companies doing business outside Korea and for expats doing business in Korea. As we all know, Korean companies and many foreign companies lament over the fact that it is nearly impossible for Korean companies, with the exception of the most savvy and cash-flush mega-conglomerates, to enter
Continue readingKorea-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement
The Republic of Korea (“South Korea”) and the Republic of Ecuador (“Ecuador”) executed this month a Strategic Economic Cooperation Agreement. Under this agreement between Ecuador and Korea, South Korea shall eliminate tariffs on 96.4 percent of items and Ecuador shall eliminate tariffs on 92.8 percent of items. Korea expects an increase in exports of automobiles, appliances, food products, Korean films, music, and other cultural content. While, Ecuador expects an increase in the export of raw materials including copper, silver, and zinc. We expect to see more Korean
Continue readingExtradition to Korea: Korean Extradition Law Explained by IPG Legal
Korean Extradition Law is based on international treaties, Korean jurisprudence, and Korean statutory law. Korea is a party to 78 extradition treaties, including, treaties with the majority of the European Union, Asia, North America, and the majority of the developed and recently developed world. Korea extradited Koreans and foreigners from a myriad of jurisdictions including from the U.S., numerous European countries, and from countries throughout Southeast Asia. An IPG Legal attorney is, likely, the only foreign attorney working in Korea who has experience with extradition cases from
Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.