A Korean 등기부등본 (Real Estate Registry Certificate) is one of the most complex documents you can ask an AI translator to handle — a multi-section legal record that includes ownership chain, liens, mortgages, and encumbrances, all in dense legalese. International buyers, mortgage banks, and inheritance attorneys all need it translated for any Korea-linked property transaction. This guide covers the four sections of the registry, the terminology traps, what banks actually want to see, and the cleanest translation workflow.

The four sections of 등기부등본

A Korean property registry has four distinct sections that translators must keep separate:

표제부 (Title section) — physical property description. Address (both jibun and doro-myeong), land area, building floor area, structure type, intended use, and construction year. This is what surveyors and architects care about.
갑구 (Section A — Ownership) — chain of ownership. Each transfer (sale, gift, inheritance) is logged with date, parties, and price. This is what title insurance and buyer DD focus on.
을구 (Section B — Encumbrances) — liens, mortgages, easements, leases, and other claims against the property. This is what lending banks examine before issuing a mortgage.
신청서 정보 (Application info) — issuance date, court office, and request ID. Usually a single line at the top or footer.

The translation must keep all four sections clearly labeled and in the original order. Merging or rearranging them causes confusion at the receiving party.

Where translation is required

Foreign buyers acquiring Korean property — DD before purchase
Korean owners selling to foreign buyers — proof of clean title
International mortgage banks — collateral evaluation when refinancing or cross-border
Inheritance cases — Korean property passing to heirs in Vietnam, Japan, US, EU
Cross-border divorce settlements — asset division
Foreign investor real estate funds — property fund DD
Government audit / tax compliance — when foreign tax authorities review Korean asset holdings

Terminology traps

Ownership types. Korean property has several ownership forms that don't map cleanly:

소유권 (ownership) — full title
공유 (co-ownership) — multiple owners with defined shares
합유 (joint ownership) — undivided joint title (rare, mostly partnerships)
총유 (collective ownership) — held by an unincorporated group (rare)

The translation should use precise English: "sole ownership", "co-ownership 1/2", "joint ownership", rather than translating literally.

Lien types in 을구.

저당권 (mortgage) — bank lien securing a loan
근저당권 (revolving mortgage) — open-ended mortgage covering future borrowing too; very common
전세권 (chonse lease) — Korean-style large deposit lease; a registered tenancy right
임차권 (leasehold) — standard rental
지상권 / 지역권 (easements) — surface use rights / way-of-passage

A common error is translating 근저당권 as "mortgage" — international banks reading "mortgage" assume a specific loan amount, but 근저당권 is a maximum claim line. The translation should preserve "maximum claim amount (근저당권)" or "revolving mortgage" with the amount labeled clearly.

Date format. Korean property dates are YYYY.MM.DD. Foreign banks often misread; label clearly.

Area units. Korean property areas use ㎡ (square meters) and sometimes 평 (pyeong; 1 pyeong = ~3.31 ㎡). The translation should keep both labels — never convert to square feet or acres automatically.

Court office name. The 등기부등본 is issued by the local 법원 등기소. The translation should include the court office name verbatim; foreign banks cross-check authenticity by court office.

What different parties want

Foreign buyer DD: full 갑구 (ownership chain), 을구 (encumbrances), 표제부 (property details).
Mortgage bank: 을구 (encumbrances) — they need to see existing liens and their seniority.
Inheritance attorney: 갑구 (ownership) — needs to verify the deceased was the registered owner.
Tax authority: 표제부 (property type) — for valuation and tax categorization.

Translate the full document; let the receiving party focus on the section relevant to them.

How ZenTrans handles 등기부등본

The registry is large and complex (often 5–15 pages for a single property). ZenTrans:

Preserves the four-section structure with clear labels
Maintains the chronological table layout in 갑구 and 을구
Keeps Korean legal terminology with English equivalent in parentheses
Preserves court office seal and issuance date footer
Handles area units (㎡ / 평) without unwanted conversion
15 target languages including English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and major European languages

A standard 등기부등본 (5–10 pages) processes in 10–25 minutes. PDF or DOCX output ready for DD or bank submission.

Step-by-step

Pull the latest registry. Online via 인터넷등기소 (대법원, paid, immediate PDF) or visit any 등기소 in person.
Confirm the receiving party's section preference. Some only need 갑구 + 표제부; others need full.
Upload to ZenTrans. Pick target language. Multi-page processing in 10–25 minutes.
Review. Verify all four sections present, ownership names match supporting docs, lien amounts in original KRW.
Export. PDF for DD bundles; DOCX for attorneys who need editable input.
Notarize if required. Korean notary public adds notarial certificate.
Apostille if international. MOFA issues apostille on the Korean original.
Submit. Foreign banks and attorneys typically accept emailed PDFs; some buyers want sealed paper.

Frequently asked questions

Can the translation convert pyeong to square feet? We recommend keeping pyeong as a label and providing ㎡ alongside. Receiving parties can convert at their preferred conversion. Pyeong has cultural/market significance in Korean real estate.

My 등기부등본 has handwritten annotations from an older era. Will the translation handle them? Yes — handwritten annotations are OCR'd and translated. The original handwritten text is preserved as an image; the translation appears alongside.

The lien amounts are in KRW with thousands separators. Should the translation localize? Keep KRW values as-is with comma separators. The receiving party converts at its own FX rate.

My property has 근저당권 set at KRW 500M but my loan is KRW 300M. Why? 근저당권 is a maximum claim line, not the actual loan amount. The translation should note this in a translator's note or parenthetical.

A Korean property registry is one of the heaviest documents in international real estate transactions. Translating it once with the four sections preserved, the ownership types clarified, and the lien terminology accurate gives DD teams a reusable asset for every future filing.

Ready to translate your Korean real estate registry? Open ZenTrans and upload your first document — the first 5 pages are free.