Korea Legal Aid Corporation

What Korea Legal Aid Corporation does

Korea Legal Aid Corporation (대한법률구조공단) is a public legal aid institution established on September 1, 1987 under the Legal Aid Act (법률구조법) and supervised by the Ministry of Justice. Headquartered in Gimcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the corporation provides free legal consultation, subsidized litigation representation, and criminal defense services for economically disadvantaged citizens, charging approximately 42% of Supreme Court-standardized lawyer fees for cases at or below 125% of median income and offering fully free services for priority groups such as unpaid wage victims, basic livelihood security recipients, and disabled persons. It operates a nationwide network of 18 branches, 42 satellite offices, and 74 local offices, supplemented by a 132 toll-free call center, video consultation, cyber consultation, and a mobile app backed by an AI chatbot called 법률똑똑이 (Legal Smart).

The corporation's core technology stack centers on the 법률구조플랫폼 (Legal Aid Platform), a one-stop portal integrated with 35 government agencies and public institutions, and on the AI chatbot and callbot that handle knowledge retrieval, consultation booking, and case routing across channels. Cumulative case volume reached 3,421,056 cases from 1987 through 2025 (2,973,520 civil/family and 447,536 criminal), with annual volume rising from 121,829 in 2023 to 148,157 in 2025. The organization is funded through government budget allocations and contributions from partner institutions including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Supreme Court (Judicial Service Promotion Fund), NH Nonghyup, Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, SGI Seoul Guarantee, and KDB Industrial Bank, among others.

The business model is non-commercial: legal consultation is free to all citizens, criminal defense is provided free of charge, and litigation structure is heavily subsidized. Specialized units include Personal Rehabilitation/Bankruptcy Comprehensive Support Centers, Housing/Commercial Lease Dispute Mediation Committees, and a Legal Culture Education Center. Customer segments span economically disadvantaged individuals, workers with unpaid wages and platform workers, over-indebted individuals and small business owners, tenants and landlords in lease disputes, and criminal defendants and victims. The 2024 government-led customer satisfaction score was 84.526 points, with 2025 case volume reinforcing steady operational scale.

Name

Korea Legal Aid Corporation

Legal name

Korea Legal Aid Corporation

Website

https://www.klac.or.kr/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Korea Legal Aid Corporation is a public legal aid institution under Korea's Ministry of Justice that provides free legal consultation, subsidized litigation representation, and criminal defense to economically disadvantaged citizens through a nationwide network of 18 branches, 42 satellite offices, and 74 local offices, supplemented by AI chatbot and 132 call center channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Social Assistance (624), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Public legal assistance
• Litigation representation
• Legal consultation
• Civil and criminal defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Gyeongsan

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Structure Services (소송구조): As a public institution established under the Legal Aid Act, the corporation provides legal consultation, litigation representation, and criminal defense services. Revenue is generated through nominal client contributions based on income level (approximately 42% of Supreme Court-standardized lawyer fees), subsidized by contributions from partner organizations. Criminal cases are provided free of charge.
2. Subsidy and Contribution Revenue: Operating costs are funded through contributions from partner organizations including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, National Court Administration (Judicial Service Promotion Fund), and various financial institutions (NH Nonghyup, Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, SGI Seoul Guarantee, KDB Industrial Bank).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Korea Legal Aid Corporation provides free and subsidized legal services to economically disadvantaged South Korean citizens, including civil, family, criminal, and administrative legal consultation, litigation representation, and criminal defense. Services are delivered nationwide through 18 branches, 42 satellite offices, and 74 local offices, complemented by an AI-powered legal chatbot (법률똑똑이), telephone (132), video, and online consultation channels.

Product overview

Korea Legal Aid Corporation operates a multi-channel legal aid service portfolio built around its flagship 법률구조 플랫폼 (Legal Aid Platform) — a one-stop platform co-developed with 35 government agencies that integrates AI-powered services, consultation booking, and case tracking. The core service stack includes the AI chatbot 법률똑똑이 for 24/7 legal Q&A, phone consultation (132), cyber consultation, in-person consultation, and video consultation (via RemoteMeeting). Specialized offerings include the Personal Rehabilitation/Bankruptcy Support Center network, the Housing/Commercial Lease Dispute Mediation Committee, and a self-service litigation cost calculator. The organization provides civil, family, and criminal legal aid for qualified applicants, along with public interest litigation. Over 10,000 legal consultation cases and legal forms are published as public data. The platform also maintains a national statistics database on legal aid outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 법률똑똑이 (Legal Smart): AI-powered chatbot service providing 24/7 legal information consultation, consultation reservations, and case search services.
• 132 법률상담 콜센터 (132 Legal Consultation Call Center)
• 법률구조 플랫폼 (Legal Aid Platform)
• 해밀봉사단 (HaeMil Volunteer Corps)

Quantifiable outcome

• 148,157 legal cases handled in 2025; over 3.4 million cumulative cases since 1987
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 국가보훈부 (Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Agreement to expand free legal structure services for veterans and families of national merit recipients. The ministry and the corporation collaborate to provide free legal consultation and litigation support to veterans.
• 한국자산관리공사/캠코 (Korea Asset Management Corporation - CAMCO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026Business agreement for supporting long-term defaulted debtor public debt adjustment. CAMCO and the corporation collaborate to provide legal support for individuals with chronic defaulted debts.
• 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funding partner for unpaid wage victim legal structure services. The ministry provides contributions to the legal aid fund to support workers in recovering unpaid wages through free civil litigation and enforcement.
• 신한은행 (Shinhan Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for warm legal protection for low-income groups. Shinhan Bank provides financial contributions to support free legal structure services for economically disadvantaged citizens.
• 한국산업은행 (KDB Industrial Bank)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree legal structure program for unemployed youth and university students, providing legal aid services funded by the bank.
• NH농협 (NH Nonghyup)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner providing contributions to the free legal aid fund for farmers and agricultural workers.
• 법무부 (Ministry of Justice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead ministry overseeing the legal structure system, and partner in the legal aid platform (법률구조플랫폼) integrating 35+ government agencies and public institutions.
• 소상공인진흥공단 (Korea SMEs and Startups Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports free legal structure for small business owners with annual revenue under 300 million KRW for personal bankruptcy and rehabilitation cases.
• 성평등가족부 (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for family and gender-related legal support services.
• 보건복지부 (Ministry of Health and Welfare)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for social welfare-related legal support services.
• 금융감독원 (Financial Supervisory Service)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for financial dispute-related legal consultation and support.
• 한국예술인복지재단 (Korea Arts Council for Youth)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for legal rights protection for artists, providing free legal structure for artists whose rights under the Artists' Rights Guarantee Act have been infringed.
• 양육비이행관리원 (Child Support Payment Management Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for child support-related legal consultations and support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Japan Legal Support Center (法テラス / Houterasu): Japan's government-affiliated legal aid foundation providing civil legal aid and criminal defense services to low-income individuals. Directly comparable to Korea Legal Aid Corporation as a national public legal aid institution in a neighboring jurisdiction with similar structure under government supervision.
• Legal Services Corporation (LSC): U.S. federal legal aid funding entity established by Congress to provide civil legal aid to low-income Americans. Comparable to Korea Legal Aid Corporation as a publicly-funded legal aid institution with nationwide grantee network providing free legal services to economically disadvantaged populations.
• Legal Aid Society of New York: One of the largest U.S. legal aid organizations providing free civil legal services, criminal defense, and law reform advocacy. Comparable in mission and service mix (civil, criminal, public interest) to Korea Legal Aid Corporation.
• LawWorks: UK charity connecting volunteer lawyers with people in need of free legal advice. Comparable to Korea Legal Aid Corporation in mission of providing legal services to economically disadvantaged populations, though operating through a volunteer-pro-bono model rather than direct staff.
• Public Law Center: Orange County, California's pro bono legal services organization providing free civil legal aid. Comparable in mission and free legal services model, though operating regionally rather than nationally.

Regional players

• China Legal Service Center (中国法律服务网): China's government-operated legal aid platform providing nationwide legal consultation and aid services. Comparable as a regional public legal aid entity serving low-income populations in an East Asian context with similar multi-channel delivery model.
• Legal Aid NSW: Australian state-funded legal aid organization providing free legal services, education, and policy advocacy. Comparable to Korea Legal Aid Corporation as a publicly-funded legal aid institution with comprehensive service portfolio including civil, criminal, family law and community legal education.

Others

• National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA): U.S. membership and advocacy organization supporting public defense and civil legal aid programs. Comparable as an institutional supporter and coordinator of legal aid services, though operating in an advocacy/membership capacity rather than direct service delivery.
• Asian Development Bank Institute - Legal Aid Research: International development organization supporting access to justice and legal aid initiatives across Asia. Comparable as an ecosystem participant supporting legal aid development in jurisdictions comparable to Korea, though not a direct service provider.
• Pro Bono Institute: U.S.-based organization promoting pro bono legal service and supporting legal aid delivery. Comparable as a thought leader and supporting organization in the legal aid ecosystem, with overlapping mission of expanding access to legal services for disadvantaged populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@klac1995
• Facebookfacebook.com/klac132
• Instagraminstagram.com/klac.or.kr
• Xx.com/korealegalaid

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korea Legal Aid Corporation