Service of Process on Korean Nationals

The CNMI business community draws members from many nationalities. When it comes to litigation, service of process can get tricky. I came across a terrific blog by Brendon Carr, an American lawyer in Korea who has some great insights into Korean business and law practices. Regarding service on a Korean resident-defendant, the only party who may effect service of process is the court. Korea has adopted the Hague Service Convention, and has a "Central Authority" through which all papers must be routed in addition to an official form (downloadable PDF). American attorneys may make service requests directly to:

Ministry of Court Administration
Attn.: Director of International Affairs
967 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu
SEOUL 137-750, SOUTH KOREA

All papers must be translated into Korean. For a terrific primer on international service, check out the Proskauer Rose LLP manual on international litigation.