Translations of the standard lease contract for dwellings have been prepared so that foreigners who are not fluent in Korean do not get flustered or sign disadvantageous contracts when looking for a place to live.
The Ministry of Justice said on the 10th that it adopted a public proposal recommending the production and distribution of foreign-language translations of the standard lease contract for dwellings, and will produce and distribute three versions in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
Among foreigners staying in Korea, Chinese account for 36.2% and Vietnamese account for 11.5%. Taking this into account, the translation languages were selected, and the supported languages will be expanded going forward.
The existing standard contract was only in Korean, causing difficulties for foreigners when signing lease contracts. Some foreign tenants entered into contracts without knowing whether there were terms unfavorable to them.
The annex to the standard contract lists important matters that tenants must know to be protected by law, such as opposability. The Ministry of Justice said it expects foreign tenants will be able to clearly understand their rights.
Foreign-language standard lease contracts for dwellings can be downloaded and used free of charge by anyone from the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport websites.
Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice said, "Cases in which foreigners enter into unfair contracts or fail to receive legal protection because of language barriers will decrease," adding, "We will continue to work to protect the legitimate rights of foreigners staying here and to promote social integration."