Gov¡¯t to issue official documents in English from second half

The government has decided to issue 22 kinds of certificates in both Korean and English beginning in the second half of this year. Currently, those seeking to emigrate to or study in foreign countries are required to first obtain papers in Korean and then have them translated into English and notarized at their own expense before having them certified by government agencies.

The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) said Tuesday that it produced the new guideline for the issuance of documents related to civil affairs after holding a consultative meeting with related organizations.

Among the documents to be available in English are school records, certificates of graduation or expected graduation, student registrations, official leaves of absence and teacher`s licenses, all issued by the Education Ministry.

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry will issue emigrants with documents informing their new governments that their old passports have been cancelled. MOGAHA also will provide documents verifying residency, enrollment and occupation. The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry will issue licenses for pharmaceutical products for animals while the Forestry Administration will produce certificates of test results.

On the orders of MOGAHA, residence documents have been issued in English since last December.

As for family census documents, the government plans to hold ongoing consultations with the Office of Court Administration and set up mid- and long-term measures to issue them in English and in a standardized form.