법제처 로고

Obtaining Legal Information of Each Country with a Single Visit

Even though the global economic situation has dramatically changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and commitment to reach carbon neutrality, Korean companies have sought a way out of the difficulties in the economy through overseas expansion and exports. In order for businesses to enter global markets and achieve successful settlement in overseas countries, it is vital to minimize the possibility of a court battle by correctly understanding laws and systems of other countries. However, each Korean company finds it difficult to obtain and understand laws and regulations written in foreign languages such as Arabic, Vietnamese, Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian language), and Thai.

The Ministry of Government Legislation of the Republic of Korea is operating the World Laws Information Center (http://world.moleg.go.kr) to provide our people and businesses who hope to advance abroad with greater and easier access to foreign legal information. The center has legal information of international organizations and 55 major countries with which we have close relations and categorizes it according to nation and topic. It provides the original texts of laws and regulations in 11 foreign languages, including Arabic, Vietnamese, Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian language), and Thai as well as English and Chinese. Translations into Korean of major laws such as labor, investment, and tax are also available at the website.

The World Laws Information Center is operating a “personalized legal information service” that provides the foreign legal information users ask for within five days after their requests. Let me give some examples. A small producer of fire-fighting equipment requested the translated version into Korean of Vietnam’s law on fire prevention and fire services through the personalized service to verify whether it is legally possible for the company to sell its products in the country. A translation of provisions regarding hiring foreign workers of Iraq’s labor law into Korean was provided at the request of a construction company that is now doing its business in the country. And a translation of provisions regarding registration of collateral security of Singapore’s corporation law was also provided at the request of a Korean company that intended to invest in a Singapore’s company. The personalized service enables us to provide foreign legal information on request in a prompt and precise way.

In addition, it provides legal information on enactment of and amendment to major laws and regulations of other countries and changes in systems and policies through its “current law service” to help our people and businesses who are abroad adapt properly to the changes. You can also acquire the latest information such as changes in major laws and systems of various countries, including enactment of the data security law in China, enactments of three labor laws for reforming labor laws and systems in India, and punishment regulations regarding industrial accidents of 14 countries such as Germany and the United Arab Emirates. In particular, after the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, it has focused on providing COVID-19 related information such as each country’s regulation on punishment for violation of a mandatory mask-wearing rule and a COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation program to help our people and businesses who are abroad easily find relevant laws and regulations.

Meanwhile, in December 2021, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) launched a “foreign economic information service” that is an integrated platform to help Korean companies and people hoping for overseas expansion have an easy access to relevant information scattered around each government agency. This one-stop service has the information 79 organizations that are supporting overseas expansion provide. The Ministry of Government Legislation is the only government agency that provides integrated foreign legal information and makes it easier to access it through the MOEF’s integrated platform.

As the global popularity of Korean culture is expected to lead to increase in export of the so-called“K-products” such as “K-quarantine goods” and “K-beauty products,” accuracy of foreign legal information will matter more in the future. The Ministry of Government Legislation will endeavor further to provide practical help to our people and businesses for their overseas expansion by making the latest legal information more accessible.