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Finding South Korean laws: the National Law Information Center and the Gwanbo

The National Law Information Center (law.go.kr), run by the Ministry of Government Legislation, publishes current and historical texts of Korean acts, presidential and ministerial decrees, local ordinances, treaties and selected court decisions, with an English section of translated laws. Laws are promulgated in the Official Gazette (Gwanbo). Fact-checkers use them to confirm what a law says and when it took effect.

Release calendar

What it publishes

• Consolidated current and past versions of acts, enforcement decrees and enforcement rules.
• Local government ordinances and administrative rules.
• Selected court decisions and Constitutional Court decisions.
• English translations of selected laws.
• Promulgated laws, decrees and public notices in the Official Gazette.

Key datasets

• National Law Information Center
  Search for statutes, decrees and case law in Korean.
  Updated: Updated continuously
• English laws
  English translations of selected Korean laws.
  Updated: Updated as translations are added
• Official Gazette (Gwanbo)
  Daily gazette of promulgated laws and notices.
  Updated: Working days

APIs and downloads

• Open data on law.go.kr
  Check law.go.kr and the Public Data Portal (data.go.kr) for current machine-readable access to law texts.

When it publishes

The Gwanbo is published every working day. law.go.kr updates consolidated texts after promulgation and shows the effective date of each version.

How to use it to check a claim

1. Check the effective date of the version you quote; law.go.kr shows past, current and future versions.
2. Use the Korean text as authoritative; English translations are for reference.
3. For freedom of information requests, the Official Information Disclosure Act applies and requests are made through the Information Disclosure Portal (open.go.kr).

Common mistakes

• Pages load text by script, so automated readers may not see the law text.
• Translations can lag behind amendments.

How do I make a freedom of information request in South Korea?

Use the Information Disclosure Portal (open.go.kr), run by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which routes requests to public bodies under the Official Information Disclosure Act.

Questions answered using this source

• What is the minimum wage in South Korea?
• How much is South Korea's national debt?

Links checked 14 October 2026. This page describes what the source publishes and gives no verdict on any claim.