Korean Divorce Documents

There are a few types of Korean divorce documents.  Just like in other countries, there are both contested and uncontested divorces.  Some Korean divorce cases will have lengthy court rulings, while others will have just one or two brief pages of details.

One thing that often confuses people about Korean divorce documents relates to people’s names.  Like in other parts of Asia, a woman does not adopt the last name of her husband when getting married.  By the same logic, after a divorce, a woman’s name will not change.  Her last name comes from her father and does not change throughout her life.

Most Korean divorce documents have a few Chinese characters to indicate who is the husband, who is the wife, who the children are, and so forth. Therefore, it is important to know that the translator you have in mind is well aware of these characters.

Sometimes the Korean pronunciation of different Chinese characters is the same, so it is easy to see why some get confused.  It is even common that second or third generation Koreans get confused with these Chinese-based characters, so it makes sense that translators will also have trouble.

Sometimes after a divorce, the relevant parties want to settle quickly and quietly.  Needlessly going back and forth with the translator to fix basic errors is sure to be a painful experience.  Even in uncontested divorces, it makes a challenging process much easier when the translation is done accurately and faithfully the first time around.

We have handled the Korean translation process of uncontested divorces, contested divorces, and even cases where one partner has left the country with one or more children leading to long-term litigation.  In many requests we have handled in the past one spouse has been Korean and the other spouse has been non-Korean.  Sometimes both parties are ethnic Koreans, but one is better at Korean than the other, leading to serious misunderstandings when it comes to something like divorce.  Navigating the language barrier and possible cultural differences is easier with a good, quality translation in hand.

In many courts in Canada and the United States, the trend is turning towards a preference for certified translations for Korean documents.  Sometimes the documentation, content, and nuances are just too challenging for community translators to handle.

every situation has its unique aspects, we have handled many complicated Korean divorce cases.  It can be an emotional experience for all involved when it comes to divorce, but we focus on the facts and relaying the intended messages clearly and factually.  Please contact us if you need assistance in obtaining a certified Korean to English translation of your Korean divorce documents.