"Foreigners Can Also Easily Sign Rental Contracts"... Ministry of Justice Distributes Standard Lease Contracts in Foreign Languages

To help foreigners who are not fluent in Korean easily sign jeonse and monthly rent housing contracts, the government has prepared a Standard Residential Lease Agreement in Foreign Languages in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Anyone can download and use these foreign-language standard housing lease contracts free of charge from the websites of the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).
According to the Ministry of Justice on the 10th, the ministry has accepted a public proposal submitted through the National Policy Proposal System that called for producing and distributing foreign-language versions of the Standard Housing Lease Contract. In response, it is creating and distributing three translated versions of the standard contract. English, Chinese, and Vietnamese versions will be provided first, and the range of supported languages will be gradually expanded over time.
The decision reflects the fact that among foreigners residing in Korea, Chinese nationals account for about 36% and Vietnamese nationals about 12%. Until now, real estate contracts were written only in Korean, making it difficult for foreigners to check whether there were any unfavorable clauses.
The appendix to the Standard Housing Lease Contract includes key information that tenants must know in order to be protected by law, such as how to secure their opposing power against third parties. Foreign tenants are expected to be able to clearly understand their rights as tenants by using the standard contract.
Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho said, "We expect that the Ministry of Justice's work to translate the standard contracts into foreign languages will reduce cases in which foreigners, due to language barriers, enter into unfair contracts or fail to receive legal protection."

hwlee@fnnews.com Lee Hwan-joo Reporter