(Last updated on February 27, 2024) Under the Korean inheritance law, the inheritance comes to fruition immediately when a person is deceased. The Korean inheritance law, Part V of the Civil Act, provides who shall become the inheritor and beneficiary of the property of a deceased person, i.e. estate.
The inheritor and beneficiary, however, shall not always take everything from the estate. There are separate rules and restrictions on the distribution of the estate in South Korea.
In this article, we will explain to you the basic rules and practices of inheritance in Korea.
- When Does the Korean Inheritance Law Apply
- Who Shall Become the Heirs and How to Distribute the Estate under the Korean Inheritance Law
- Surviving Spouse's Inheritance Right and Share
- When a Parent or a Spouse Dies Before the Deceased
- Calculation of Actual Share
- Deceased Cannot Disinherit an Heir Entirely - Elective Share
- How to Secure and Collect Your Inheritance Claim in Korea
- Transparency and Knowledge Are Essential in Dealing with Korean Heirs
- FAQ
When Does the Korean Inheritance Law Apply
Before we dive into the Korean inheritance law, let’s find out in what situation the Korean inheritance law becomes the governing law in an international inheritance case.
Every jurisdiction has its own choice of law rules. Korea has it on the Act on Private International Law. According to the act, unless the deceased duly designated another country’s law by her valid will, the law of the deceased’s country becomes the governing law.
Also, it should be noted that the act recognizes renvoi. Renvoi is a subset of choice of law rules and its concept is prescribed in the Article 9 of the act as follows:
Article 9 (Renvoi in Case of Designation of Applicable Law) In case a foreign law is designated as an applicable law under this Act, when the law of South Korea shall be applied under the law of that foreign country, the law of South Korea (except the provisions of the law to designate the applicable law) shall govern.
In short, in intestate succession, when the deceased is not a Korean citizen, we should look to the choice of law rules of that foreign country. And if that country’s choice of law rules refers back to the law of Korea, the Korean inheritance law eventually becomes the governing law.
This is particularly relevant with regard to some countries whose choice or law rules deal with the estate differently according to whether it is an immovable property or movable property.
For example, in the United States, except as may be provided by law, the law of the deceased’s domicile applies to the inheritance of a movable (e.g. personal property). And the law of where the property is situated applies to the inheritance of an immovable (e.g. real estate).
Thus, when an American whose home state is New York dies in Korea without a will, the Korean court shall apply the Korean inheritance law with respect to his Korean bank accounts. And for the succession of a building in New York, the Korean court shall apply the New York intestate succession law.
Read more: Choice of Laws Is Critical When It Comes to an International Inheritance
Who Shall Become the Heirs and How to Distribute the Estate under the Korean Inheritance Law
The basic rule of the Korean inheritance law is that the property of the deceased is distributed according to his or her will. So, a person who is not categorized as an inheritor by law can become a beneficiary of the estate by the decedent’s will.
What if there is no valid will? The Korean inheritance law sets forth the rule of intestate succession. This rule of intestate succession names the beneficiary and the shares of each beneficiary for a distribution purpose.
According to the intestate succession rule, persons become beneficiaries in the following order.
- Direct descendants (children or grandchildren)
- Direct ascendants (parents or grandparents)
- Siblings
- Relative within the 4th degree of collateral consanguinity
If there are multiple persons standing in the same rank, the closest in the degree of relationship shall have the priority. There could be multiple persons of the same rank and the same degree of relationship. In such a case, they become co-inheritors and co-beneficiaries. The shares of the co-beneficiaries are all equal.
If the child is adopted, it establishes a parental relationship and the child can inherit the adoptive parent. Can the adopted child inherit the birth parent? Please refer to our previous article on the inheritance right of the adopted child.
Surviving Spouse’s Inheritance Right and Share
The spouse has a unique position. If there are no relatives in the first and second rank, the spouse shall become the sole inheritor. If there is any inheritor(s) in the first or second rank, the spouse shall become the co-inheritor with that inheritor(s).
As to the share, Korean law provides more protection to the spouse. According to the Korean intestate succession rule, the spouse shall have 50% more share than those of other co-heirs.
For example, let’s assume a deceased was survive by a spouse, 2 children, and the parents. The 2 children and the spouse shall become the co-heirs. The parents can’t be an heir. The inheritance shares are 2/7 for each child and 3/7 for the spouse.
When a Parent or a Spouse Dies Before the Deceased
Korean Inheritance law acknowledges the succession per stirpes and lapse. This means, for example, that when a son dies before his parent, the son’s right to his parent’s estate as an intestate heir passes down to his son and wife.
What happens if the wife remarries after the death of the husband and before the death of the husband’s parent? As the remarriage disconnects the wife from the inheritance from his ex-husband, she cannot claim for a succession per stripes, either.
Calculation of Actual Share
Although it is clear that the Korean inheritance law prescribes each heir’s statutory share, the actual calculation of how much each heir shall take eventually is not a simple process.
That is because there could be some situations where one heir had received a gift with a significant value from the deceased during his lifetime. Also, one family member could have supported the deceased financially and/or physically.
In such a situation, distributing the estate only by the statutory share could be unfair. Here, the Korean inheritance law provides 2 legal mechanisms to mitigate the unfairness.
Special Contributory Share
If any heir had provided a deceased with a special contribution in taking care of the deceased or in maintaining/increasing the value of the estate, she can take some portion out of the estate over other heirs. We call it a special contribution share.
Basically, the Korean inheritance law leaves it to the heirs’ agreement to decide who shall have a special contributory share and how much. If such an agreement is unable to reach, the court will make a decision per the heir’s request.
Previously we wrote an article on this special contribution share. If you’re interested, please check on this article.
Special Benefit
If an heir had received any assets/money from the deceased as a gift when the deceased was alive, we call it a “special benefit”. The Korean inheritance law treats the special benefit as a prepayment of inheritance share. Thus, the court deducts the value of the special benefit from the heir’s inheritance share when calculating how much the heir can get from the estate.
It is very common in Korea that an heir receives a wide range of support from their old parents. Sometimes it could be cash, sometimes lands. It is the job of you and your lawyer to find out how much the Korean heir received the benefits.
Deceased Cannot Disinherit an Heir Entirely – Elective Share
As mentioned earlier, the rule of intestate succession only applies when there is no valid will. Does this mean the deceased can dispose of the estate freely by his own will?
The answer is not always. The Korean inheritance law recognizes an elective share, i.e. a statutory minimum share to the estate which is obliged to go to an inheritor. This is intended to protect the inheritor from being disinherited or left only a small portion of the estate.
Thanks to this rule, an inheritor may elect to receive the minimum statutory share despite what the deceased had written on the will. The decedent’s freedom to make a will is restricted by this elective share.
Currently, the elective share under Korean inheritance law is 50% of the intestate succession share that an inheritor would have received under the intestacy law.
So, in the above example, let’s further assume that the deceased had left a will that named his spouse as the sole beneficiary. Even in such a situation, the 2 children can still claim the elective share. The elective shares are 1/7 for each child.
How to Secure and Collect Your Inheritance Claim in Korea
Dividing the Estate among the Heirs
Under Korean inheritance law, the ownership of an estate is automatically transferred to the heir(s) upon the death of the deceased. When there are multiple heirs, the heirs come into a co-ownership status. This is done by the operation of law. Therefore, it does not require any further legal steps such as title registration.
Each heir can get out of a co-ownership and take a particular portion of the estate by his or her own property by making an agreement with other heirs or applying for a court order.
Filing a Suit When the Inheritance Right Was Infringed
If a non-heir holds an ownership of the estate or an heir took more portion of the estate than what is granted according to this legitimate share, it constitutes an infringement of inheritance right.
Common cases of inheritance infringement are as follows:
- the deceased left a wife and child, but his brother took ownership of the estate. (The estate should be awarded to the wife and child)
- the deceased left two children, but the elder brother took everything. (the elder brother is entitled to only 50% of the estate)
In this situation, the heir whose inheritance right is infringed can correct the infringement by filing a lawsuit. One this to note is that this kind of legal action must be filed within either (i) 3 years from the date when he found out the infringement or (ii) 10 years from the date when the infringement took place, whichever comes first.
When the claim is accepted, the court orders the infringer to return the property to the legitimate heir.
When the defendant refuses to perform his judgment liability, the general process of debt collection can be applicable.
Read More: Korean Lawyer Explains Debt Collections In South Korea – Overview
Transparency and Knowledge Are Essential in Dealing with Korean Heirs
Most of the inheritance disputes in Korea center on contesting the will and enforcing the elective share. (There are other issues such as a contributory share and a deductible special benefit. We will explain these important issues later with other posts)
We have seen many cases where the Korean heirs urge a non-Korean heir to hand over a certain legal document. They say that they need the document urgently in order to take care of the distribution and tax report. The problem is that they often do not fully disclose the situation of the estate and the foreign heir’s rights. They even provide false information about Korean law and practice. This could harm the transparency of the whole process of distribution. This also could cause a considerable financial loss to the foreign heir who is lack sufficient and reliable information on the Korean inheritance law.
Inheritance law is a complicated area of law in South Korea. Thus, It is a good idea to seek legal advice from a Korean inheritance lawyer before handing over any legal document.
FAQ
A) No, the Korean inheritance law shall be applicable only when the governing law of the case is Korean law. Please refer to this article and this for more detail.
A) Under current Korean inheritance law, a will cannot 100% supersede the inheritance law. There is an elective share, which is the minimum share that the intestate heirs can get regardless of what is written on the will. Therefore, if you want to disinherit someone, the only possible solution in Korea is to create a living trust.
A) The distribution of the estate requires an agreement of the entire heirs. So in order to distribute any property of the estate, you will have to file a petition with the Korean court. The Korean court can search and locate the missing/estranged heir. If the court cannot locate the heir, the party can ask the court to appoint an administrator who can act on behalf of the missing heir.
A) Yes, as a legitimate heir, you can file an estate search inquiry with the Korean government.
A) Debts are unique under Korean law. The deceased’s debts are not the subject of free distribution among the heirs. Each heir inherits the debts per his/her intestate share immediately upon the death of the deceased. The heirs may agree on how to distribute the inherited debts but they need to get approval from the creditor.
A) Your Korean inheritance tax liability is determined by the residency of the deceased and the location of the inherited property. If the deceased is a foreign resident, you will have to pay inheritance tax only for the property located in Korea. If the deceased is a Korean resident, the heir has to pay the tax for the worldwide assets of the deceased.
Q) Is there any deadline to file the Korean inheritance taxes?
A) The filing of the Korean inheritance tax report is mandated within a 6-month period following the passing of an individual. However, there are two exceptions to this rule. Firstly, in the case where the deceased was a foreign resident, and secondly, when all inheritors are foreign residents. In such qualifying scenarios, the obligation to file the Korean inheritance tax extends to a 9-month timeframe. It is crucial to note that the penalty for failing to report is more severe than that for non-payment. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to ensure timely submission of the Korean inheritance tax report.
A) No, that is not true. It is possible to handle the inheritance matters while staying in the U.S. If you retain a Korean inheritance attorney, he will be able to take care of the process. Actually, we have successfully represented many U.S. clients.
A) If you don’t want to inherit, you must file a renunciation of inheritance with the Korean court in a timely manner. Under Korean law, the renunciation should be filed within 3 months from the date when the heir knew the passing of the deceased. There is one exception to this timeframe. If the heir, without any gross negligence, couldn’t find the fact the inherited debts exceed the inherited asset, she can file a reserved renunciation within 3 months from the date on which she found such a fact. A reserved renunciation means the heir inherits the debts only to the extent that the inherited assets can pay off.
If you have any questions about the Korean inheritance matters and want to speak directly with our Korean qualified English speaking lawyer, please click the contact button below. A real Korean lawyer, not a U.S. attorney hired by a Korean lawyer nor just an English speaking staff, will help you competently.
Also, you can find a stack of legal information and articles on Korean inheritance law, written by a Korean licensed lawyer, by clicking here.
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Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein, which may or may not reflect the most current legal development, may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
Dear Sir/Madam,
If my mother (Korean national..father already passed away) writes a Will, leaving all to Only one of her child, then can other siblings can prevent all inheritance going to that sibling?
I have been told that regardless of Will, inheritance will be divided between ALL sibling.
Thanks in advance.
That is the case when the Korean inheritance law is the governing law. If the country in which your mother currently resides does not acknowledge an elective share, she can successfully allocate all her assets to a specific child by designating that particular country law as the governing law in her will.
Hi, I would like to know is it possible in south korea that the property of the deceased (which died more than 20 years ago) still remain under the deceased name until today instead of transferred into his children name? I was informed by a friend that his late father/mother never willed the house to either his sister or even to himself. Both his parent is a south korean and my friend and his sister south korean too. Tqia as my friend quite confused now on this matter.
Certainly, it is indeed possible. The proper legal course of action would be for the legitimate heir to initiate an application to update the title registration.
If you inherit a rental property and want to continue to rent it out, do you still need to pay the inheritance tax on the value of the property in addition to the tax on the rental income?
Yes, so long as the value and the income meet the thresholds of the inheritance and income taxes.
My brother and I renounced our inheritance to our parents’ house, leaving the full inheritance to our eldest brother. This is because we trusted him to share the profits from selling the house with us. We were also in the U.S. while our parents passed away, so we figured it would be the simplest to do it this way. However, my eldest brother soon passed away as well, without dealing with the house. Now our eldest brother’s wife does not wish to honor our agreement and wishes to keep the house for herself.
Is there any legal recourse for my brother and I? Thank you.
Hello,
Please leave your inquiry at our legal consultation page.
My father has dual citizenship in the USA and Korea. He recently remarried another woman in Korea and continues to live there. I get the sense he is trying to leave everything to her and not leave anything to me or his grandchildren. Do we have any rights or capability from preventing my father leaving all the legacy to his new wife?
No, You can’t. If he has some mental disability, the family may prevent it by getting a guardianship order, though.
Please need advice. This is for my friend that I am trying to help out. My friends mother passed away few months ago and she is a USA citizen and she has a brother that lives in Korea. Her mother left the her house property 50/50 to both of them, but my friend would like to give her share to her brother to keep how can she do this while she is in USA and doesn’t have to go back to Korea. Thank you in advance for the help. 😇🙏
Hello, Pritika
Thanks for contacting our office. We’ve just sent an email to you with relevant legal information.
Thanks
Are grandchildren equal in status as heirs as children?
based on this line “If there are multiple persons standing in the same rank, the closest in the degree of relationship shall have the priority.” It sounds like children would have priority over grandchildren.
Yes, your understanding is correct. Children have priority over grandchildren.
Thanks for your reply.
In that case. if a person passed away, and his inheritance would be split between 2 children. However one of those children had already died, would the dead child’s children inherit that share, or would the entire estate be inherited by the surviving child?
The dead child’s children inherit the share.
I have two questions:
1) Using the example given in the article above, does the fact the children are still minors affect the inheritance?
2) Again using the above example, is the marital property divided prior to inheritance and if so how is it split? For example does the surviving spouse first get 50% of the martial property and then 3/7 of the remaining 50% or only 3/7 of the total martial property?
1) No
2) Marital property is a concept used mostly in a divorce case, not inheritance case. Surviving spouse’s entitlement is 3/7 of the estate.
Hello, I was adopted to a family in America. My birth Father is a businessman in Seoul and my birth Mother is married to a businessman/entrepreneur. We have all recently reconnected but I wonder if I am entitled to any inheritance under Korean Law. My birth Father has a boy and girl and my birth Mother never had any other children. I am more focused on building our relationship right now but just curious if I should expect anything or travel to Korea or hire a lawyer should someone pass away. I would never have the courage to ask them outright since I was raised by my adopted parents to never discuss money because it’s gauche. I don’t follow that advice with my own children but am relegated to begging for help on message boards because I don’t have any Korean friends who I can ask.
Thanks in advance for any help you may provide!
Hello
Thanks for contacting our office.
It depends on whether your adoption was a simple adoption or a full adoption. If it was a simple adoption which doesn’t cut the original parentage, you are entitled to the inheritance.
Please find an article on our previous case which could be similar to your situation: https://askkorealaw.com/2018/12/17/adoptee-inheritance/
Hope this is of any assistance.
Thanks so much!
Hello,
I am a foreigner who studies law in Europe. I have been dating a Korean citizen for quite some time and I worry about her future after her father dies.
While her father is not in immediate danger I am concerned that he may be contracting debts right now without the knowledge of his family. He is in a very dark place and has stopped earning a revenue.
I would like to know who will inherit his debts after his passing and how my girlfriend and her mother, still married to the husband, can avoid paying these debts.
Thank you very much for your help.
Hello
Your girlfriend and her mother will inherit his debts, too. They can choose to renounce their inheritance to avoid the liability after he passes away.
Hope this is of assistance to you.
Thank you very much.
I have same issue when I red it
This has happened a long time ago and came into surface recently. MY grandmother had some assets under her name and had no will when she passed away. so then my grandma’s sister forced my grandfather when he was drunk to sign a contract (which he wasn’t really sure about) that says that he will give up his share of the inheritance. However, my grandma has four kids, including my mum and they weren’t aware of any of this. They did not sign anything and this was already more than 15 years ago. MY grandfather passed away about 10 years ago and my mum and my aunts did not receive anything. is it possible for my grandaunt to take all that away with just my grandfather’s signature? is there nothing my mum and my aunts have a say? can we open a case for this now?
Thanks for contacting our office. We had replied to your inquiry by an email. Please let us know if you have further questions.
this is an interesting article.
if husband has debt with bank does his estate pay back debts on bank loans before guarantor of the loan??? or does debt move direct to guarantor?
The inheritance law does not provide nor change the priority. It is all down to the matter whether the guarantor agreement and related clauses in Civil Code recognize such priority.
My father and mother married while they lived in Korea years ago. As they moved to Brazil, they recognized their marriage in Brazil as well. foe=r some 30 years, my father has been living in Southe Korea, while my mother and my 2 sisters continued living in Brazil. 3 months ago, my mother deceased, leaving no will. I traveled to Korea some 3 years ago, and discovered my father had many estates worth some good money, I wanted to know, if I have any rights over the properties that were from my father and mother (since they never divorced). My mother´s death has beed directed to the korean consulate in Brazil 1 and a half months ago. I´d like to say that I, and all my sisters are in the family tree docs in Korea. Thanks in advance.