These collection practices are illegal
- Calls, visits or texts between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. without good reason
- Telling third parties such as family or coworkers about the debt, or demanding they pay it
- Assault, threats, swearing, intimidating visits, or lies about criminal punishment
- A financial or collection company contacting you more than 7 times in 7 days about one debt (Individual Debtor Protection Act, Oct 2024)
- Contact during a suspension period (up to 3 months) after you reported surgery, hospitalization or a death in the family
What you can demand
- Set the times you don't want to be contacted (within 28 hours a week) and the channels (up to 2, such as calls or texts)
- For overdue debts under ₩30M principal, request debt adjustment directly from the financial company → collection stops while it's processed
- The Legal Aid Corporation's debtor's representative program (a representative takes collection contacts for you)
Recording calls, screenshotting texts and keeping a dated contact log gives you evidence when reporting.
This calculator gives estimates based on published laws and criteria and is not legal advice. Before acting, be sure to check with the official agencies below.