Inheritance in Korea for Foreign Nationals: What Happens to Assets When a Family Member Dies

Inheritance in Korea involving a foreign national comes down to three questions: which country's law applies, who inherits how much, and where the procedure actually runs. A Korean spouse who has passed away, an apartment or bank account in Seoul, heirs scattered across two or three countries — I see some version of this situation in my practice every month, and the anxiety is usually the same: "I don't even know which country to start in." The good news is that the map is clearer than it feels. Let me walk you through the three questions in order.

Which country's law governs the inheritance?

The starting point is the nationality of the person who passed away — not the nationality of the heirs. Under Article 77 of Korea's Act on Private International Law, inheritance is governed by the national law of the deceased at the time of death. If a Korean national dies, Korean inheritance law applies even where the spouse or children are foreign nationals. If a foreign national dies, the inheritance law of that person's home country is the starting point — even for assets located in Korea.

There is an important exception, and it is one of the most useful planning tools an international family has. The same article allows a person to designate the applicable law by will: the law of their habitual residence (provided they keep that residence until death), or, for real property, the law of the country where the property is located. A foreign national who has settled in Korea for the long term can designate Korean law by will, and that single choice can transform the procedure their family will face later. This is why I tell international families that inheritance planning starts with the will, not with the assets.

Who inherits — and does being a foreigner change your share?

Assume Korean law applies. The order of heirs is set by Article 1000 of the Civil Act: first, lineal descendants (children and grandchildren); second, lineal ascendants (parents); then siblings, and then collateral relatives within the fourth degree. Under Article 1003, the spouse inherits jointly with the first- or second-order heirs at the same rank — and inherits alone if there are none.

As for the shares, Article 1009 divides the estate equally among heirs of the same rank, with a 50% premium for the spouse. A spouse inheriting with two children therefore takes a 1.5 : 1 : 1 ratio. And here is the answer to the question foreign clients ask most often, sometimes in a whisper: these rules do not ask about nationality. A foreign spouse and foreign-national children have exactly the same status and shares under Korean law as Korean heirs. Being a foreigner does not shrink your inheritance.

Can the procedure be handled in Korea — and from abroad?

Whether Korean courts can hear an inheritance dispute is governed by Article 76 of the Act on Private International Law: Korean courts have international jurisdiction if the deceased's habitual residence was in Korea at the time of death, or if estate assets are located in Korea. In practice, that covers most cases this article is written for — a family member who lived in Korea, or real estate and bank accounts left here.

Just as importantly, the whole process can usually be handled from abroad. Heirs living overseas act through a Korean attorney under a power of attorney; transferring real estate title, collecting bank deposits, and negotiating or litigating a division among co-heirs rarely require anyone to fly in for more than the matters they choose to attend. What the process does demand is paperwork, which brings us to the last question.

What deadlines and documents should heirs watch?

One clock matters more than any other. Under Article 1019 of the Civil Act, an heir has three months from the day they learn that the inheritance has commenced to choose among simple acceptance, qualified acceptance (accepting only up to the value of the assets), and renunciation. If the estate may carry more debt than assets, this three-month window is the single most important thing to protect. Heirs abroad often learn of a death late — the period in principle runs from when you learned of it, so the safe course is to get advice as soon as you do.

The slowest part of an international inheritance, however, is usually not the law but the documents. Korean family registers do not record foreign family members' events completely, so death, marriage, and birth certificates issued in the home country are typically needed, with translations and the required authentication (such as an apostille). Where co-heirs live in different countries, an estate division agreement needs each heir's authenticated signature, which takes coordination across embassies and notaries. Starting this document work early is what decides how fast everything else moves.

A short summary

The deceased's nationality picks the governing law (a will can change that choice); under Korean law the spouse takes a 50% premium and heir nationality is irrelevant; Korean courts are available when the deceased lived here or assets are here; and the three-month acceptance/renunciation window plus foreign document work set the real timeline. An international inheritance is rarely as impossible as it first looks — it is a sequence of familiar steps with a border running through each one.

If you are dealing with an inheritance that touches Korea — as a foreign heir, a foreign spouse, or a family with assets here — you can reach me in English through the contact form at lawyerseoul.com.

Jaewon Lee, Attorney at Law (Joye Law)

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