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Courts and Law
[Legal updates in Korea] Educational protections strengthened for abused children

● Updated Law: Child Welfare Act What it does: Protects abused children's access to education and strengthens government reviews of suspected child abuse deaths Took effect: Aug. 4 South Korea has strengthened protections for abused children to ensure they can continue their education even when their parents or guardians are implicated in the abuse. Under the revised law, when all of a child's parents, guardians or other legally responsible caregivers are perpetrators of abuse, the head of a loc
Aug. 27, 2026 - 15:24:38
Courts and Law
[Legal updates in Korea] Crime prevention support expanded for single-owner and women-owned businesses

● Updated Law: Act on the Protection of and Support for Micro Enterprises What it does: Creates a legal basis for government support to help protect vulnerable small businesses from crime Took effect: July 1 South Korea has introduced a new legal framework to help protect single-owner and women-owned small businesses from crime. Under the revised law, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and local governments can conduct surveys to assess crime risks faced by these businesses and implement programs
July 28, 2026 - 13:44:46
Courts and Law
[Legal Updates in Korea] Expanded data collection for self-driving car testing

● Updated Law: Act on the Promotion of and Support for Commercialization of Autonomous Vehicles What it does: Allows broader collection and use of video data for autonomous vehicle research and testing Took effect: June 18 South Korea has eased restrictions on the collection and use of video data for autonomous vehicle testing in an effort to improve the performance and safety of self-driving technologies. Under the revised law, operators of autonomous vehicles that have received temporary permi
June 25, 2026 - 09:21:04
Courts and Law
[Legal Updates in Korea] Mandatory sign language interpretation for major government announcements

● Updated Law: Korean Sign Language Act What it does: Requires sign language interpretation for major government announcements Took effect: May 12 South Korea has expanded sign language services to improve access to public information for Deaf people who use Korean Sign Language as their primary language. Previously, sign language interpretation was mainly provided for disaster- and safety-related announcements. But major government announcements — including presidential speeches — often did not
May 28, 2026 - 13:52:07
People
Seoul moves to allow foreigners to trade S. Korean ETFs directly

South Korea's financial authorities are moving to allow foreign investors to trade domestic exchange-traded funds (ETFs) directly, a measure that could help draw more overseas money into Korean assets amid a record-setting rally in the benchmark KOSPI, sources said Sunday. The KOSPI has been among the world's best-performing stock indexes this year, rising 82 percent from 4,309.63 on the first trading day of the year to close at 7,847.71 on Friday, driven largely by strong gains in Samsung Elect
May 24, 2026 - 19:16:44
Courts and Law
[Legal Updates in Korea] Expanded tariff exemptions for rare disease medicines

● Updated Law: Customs Act What it does: Expands duty exemptions for medicines used to treat rare and intractable diseases Took effect: April 1 South Korea has expanded tariff exemptions to cover medicines used to treat rare and intractable diseases, easing the financial burden on patients. Previously, while some medicines qualified for duty exemptions, this did not apply to “self-treatment medicines” that are not distributed domestically. As a result, patients importing such medicines through t
April 30, 2026 - 14:42:23
Courts and Law
[Legal Updates in Korea] Restrictions on student smartphone use in schools

● Updated Law: Elementary and Secondary Education Act What it does: Limits students’ use of smartphones and other smart devices in schools Took effect: March 1 South Korea has introduced new rules restricting students’ use of smartphones and other smart devices in schools, amid growing concerns about their impact on learning and emotional well-being. Under the revised law, students are generally not allowed to use smart devices during class. However, exceptions may be made for students with disa
March 19, 2026 - 14:29:59
Courts and Law
[Legal Updates in Korea] South Korea to launch regional doctor program to reduce health care disparities

● Updated Law: Act on the Training and Support of Regional Physicians What it does: Introduces a program to place more doctors in underserved regions Took effect: Feb. 24 South Korea is launching a regional doctor program to reduce disparities in access to medical care between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. The program has two tracks. Service-obligated regional doctors are admitted through designated university admissions programs and must work at regional medical institutions for 10 y
Feb. 24, 2026 - 12:52:07
Courts and Law
South Korea tightens indoor air quality standards in public facilities

● Updated Law: Enforcement Rule of the Indoor Air Quality Control Act What it does: Lowers allowable indoor ultrafine dust levels in public-use facilities Took effect: Jan. 1 South Korea has strengthened indoor air quality rules for public facilities in an effort to create safer environments, particularly children and teenagers. Under the revised regulation, the maximum allowable level of ultrafine dust in certain facilities has been lowered from 50 micrograms per cubic meter to 40 micrograms pe
Jan. 26, 2026 - 13:28:59
Courts and Law
South Korea expands ethical oversight of animal testing in national R&D

● Updated Law: Enforcement Decree of the Animal Protection Act What it does: Broadens ethical oversight of animal testing in national research projects Took effect: Dec. 3 South Korea has expanded ethical requirements for animal testing conducted as part of national research and development projects, bringing a wider range of institutions under regulatory oversight. Under the revised decree, companies governed by the Commercial Act, small and medium-sized enterprises, and nonprofit organizations
Dec. 23, 2025 - 14:27:55
Courts and Law
S. Korea toughens penalties for unpaid wages

● Updated Law: Labor Standards Act What it does: Increases penalties for unpaid wages and expands protections for workers Took effect: Oct. 23 To ensure stable livelihoods for workers, sanctions against employers who fail to pay wages on time have been significantly strengthened. Under the revised law, if an employer intentionally withholds wages for a cumulative total of three months or more within a year, affected workers may now claim up to three times the amount owed as compensation. Previou
Oct. 27, 2025 - 13:16:39
Courts and Law
S. Korea raises deposit insurance payout ceiling for first time in 24 years

● Updated law: Depositor Protection Act What it does: Bolsters the protection of depositors from financial risks Took effect: Sept. 1 The maximum deposit insurance payout has doubled to 100 million won ($71,400) starting Sept.1. The figure had been set at 50 million won for 24 years since 2001. Deposit insurance guarantees that if a bank or other deposit-taking institution fails, depositors will still recover their money up to a certain limit. In the past, financial authorities had taken a cauti
Sept. 23, 2025 - 14:03:43
Courts and Law
Promoting organ donor registration

● Updated law: Organs Transplant Act What it does: Improves the registration process for organ donors Took effect: Aug. 21 Starting Aug. 21, anyone applying for identification documents, including resident registration cards, passports, driver’s licenses and seafarer’s identity certificates, will be provided with information on how to register as an organ donor. The same process applies to renewals and reissuances. The new law aims to expand awareness and participation in organ donor registratio
Aug. 24, 2025 - 14:31:22
Courts and Law
Korea helps single parents receive better child support

● Updated law: Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payment What it does: Allows the government to pay the custodial parent in advance to help cover the costs of raising a child Took effect: July 1 On July 1, a new system for child support payments was launched under a revision to the related law. The state-run Korean Child Support Agency is now able to pay a sum of child support to the custodial parent in advance and later collect the money from the noncustodial parent. If the noncusto
July 27, 2025 - 13:59:56
Courts and Law
Korea lowers cap on student loan interest rates

● Updated law: Special Act on Income Contingent Loan What it does: Lowers the interest rate cap on income-contingent loans Took effect: June 19 Starting on June 19, the interest rate cap on income-contingent loans will be lowered to reduce the burden of repayment for college graduates. Previously, the interest rate was capped at 120 percent of the average yield of five-year state bonds for the three years preceding each semester. This will be reduced to 110 percent. This is the first reduction i
June 25, 2025 - 13:41:20