Common English Mistakes in Contracts by Korean Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Korean speakers from South Korea when writing a Contract in English.

Mistake Example #1

Confusion with prepositions ('in', 'on', 'at')

This Agreement is made in Seoul, South Korea, on 15th October, 2023, between ABC Corporation and XYZ Ltd. The parties agree to meet at the office inat 9 AM ftor discussing the terms of the contract. Any disputes arising in this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with the laws applicable oin South Korea.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is mostly well-written. There were a few errors with the use of prepositions: "in" 9 AM should be "at" 9 AM and "on" South Korea should be "in" South Korea."

This Agreement is made in Seoul, South Korea, on 15th October, 2023, between ABC Corporation and XYZ Ltd. The parties agree to meet at the office at 9 AM to discuss the terms of the contract. Any disputes arising in this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with the laws applicable in South Korea.

This Agreement is made in Seoul, South Korea, on 15th October 2023, between ABC Corporation and XYZ Ltd. The parties agree to meet at the office in 9 AM for discussing the terms of the contract. Any disputes arising in this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with the laws applicable on South Korea.

Mistake Example #2

Incorrect word order in complex sentences

This Agreement, between the parties, shallbe effective be from the date of signing. The obligations tobefulfilled by the parties, to fulfill, must be within the specified time frame. If any dispute arises, the parties,are to resolve,and agree through arbitration in Seoul.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"Changes I made were mostly to improve fluidity and readability. Please be mindful of word order: "shall effective be" should be "shall be effective"."

This Agreement between the parties shall be effective from the date of signing. The obligations to be fulfilled by the parties must be within the specified time frame. If any dispute arises, the parties are to resolve and agree through arbitration in Seoul.

This Agreement, between the parties, shall effective be from the date of signing. The obligations of the parties, to fulfill, must be within the specified time frame. If any dispute arises, the parties, to resolve, agree through arbitration in Seoul.

Mistake Example #3

Omitting articles ('a', 'an', 'the')

This Agreement is made between theCompany andthe Client for provision of services. TheClient agrees to pay thefee, as outlined in Schedule A. TheParties shall adhere tothe terms and conditions specified inthe document to ensure compliance with applicable laws.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to add missing articles ("the," "an," etc.)."

This Agreement is made between the Company and the Client for provision of services. The Client agrees to pay the fee, as outlined in Schedule A. The Parties shall adhere to the terms and conditions specified in the document to ensure compliance with applicable laws.

This Agreement is made between Company and Client for provision of services. Client agrees to pay fee as outlined in Schedule A. Parties shall adhere to terms and conditions specified in document to ensure compliance with applicable laws.