What I handle

1. Police questioning: response & accompaniment

2. Visa change & extension

3. Departure orders & deportation

4. Criminal trials

5. Unpaid wages & severance pay

6. Industrial accident claims

Who I help

• International students (D-2, D-4): visa extensions, permission for part-time work, changing to a job-seeking or work visa

• Marriage migrants (F-6): visa extensions, staying in Korea after divorce or separation

• E-9 workers: unpaid wages, changing workplaces, industrial accidents, police investigations

• E-7 workers: visa extensions, changing employers or visa status

• Anyone who received a departure order, faces deportation, or was called in for police questioning

Lawyer (Byeonhosa) or Administrative Agent (Haengjeongsa)?

In Korea, a lawyer (변호사, byeonhosa) and an administrative agent (행정사, haengjeongsa) are different professions with different licenses. Some haengjeongsa use English titles such as "administrative attorney" or "immigration attorney" on their business cards, but they are not lawyers.

What a haengjeongsa does (Administrative Agents Act, Article 2): prepares and submits documents to government offices, translates documents, applies for permits on your behalf, and answers questions about administrative procedures.

What only a lawyer can do:

• Represent you in court, including lawsuits to cancel a departure order, a deportation order or a visa refusal

• Act as your defense counsel during police and prosecution investigations and in criminal trials (Criminal Procedure Act, Article 31)

• Handle legal disputes such as lawsuits for unpaid wages or damages

Under the Attorney-at-Law Act (Article 109), a person who is not a lawyer and handles legal cases for money commits a crime. If your problem may lead to an investigation, a trial, deportation or a lawsuit, you need a lawyer, not only someone who prepares documents.

Why you should not face a legal problem without a lawyer

Koreans hire lawyers when they are questioned by the police or taken to court, even though they speak Korean and know the system. As a foreign resident, you go through the same process in a foreign language, and the result can also affect your visa.

• A person who is sentenced to imprisonment and released can be deported (Immigration Act, Article 46(1)(13)).

• Even a fine can be considered when you apply to extend or change your visa.

• What you say in your first police interview is written into the record and is hard to change later.

• Deadlines for appeals and objections are short, sometimes only 7 days (for example, appealing a criminal judgment). If you miss them, you may lose your chance.

A lawyer protects your rights from the first interview, works with interpreters, and considers the effect on your visa at every step.

Background

• Former Head of the Investigation Team (immigration investigations, deportation) and Head of the Legal Affairs Team, Gwangju Immigration Office, Ministry of Justice

• Member, Social Integration Committee and Rights Promotion Council, Gwangju Immigration Office

• Member, Integrated Support Committee, Gwangju Foreign Residents Support Center

• Advisory Group, Jeonnam Immigrant Support Center

• Board member, Gwangju International Center

• Lectures on immigration and labor law for foreign resident support centers and international students at Chonnam National University

How consultation works

1. Send a message by KakaoTalk open chat or email. Tell us your visa type and what happened.

2. We set an appointment. An interpreter can be arranged if you need one.

3. Bring your documents: residence card, passport, contracts, pay slips, and any notices you received.

Office

#204, 2F Dongmyeong Building, 73 Jisan-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61445, Korea
Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00 (by appointment) · +82-62-413-6686

Attorney Munseok Kim, Dongmyeong Partners Law Firm. This page provides general information and is not legal advice for your specific case.