Gwangju Nam-gu "Awkward Family Relationships, Don't Worry, Just Consult Us"

First Local District to Operate 'Family Registry Consultation Day'

By Appointment Only, Every Third Wednesday from 3 to 5 PM

Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae) is the first among local autonomous districts to launch a full-scale secure consultation service for civil petitioners experiencing difficulties with family relationship registration (hojeok) processing.

Nam-gu announced on the 29th that it will designate the third Wednesday of every month as "Hojeok Consultation Day" and begin operating the service from August.

The service will operate by appointment from 3 PM to 5 PM.

Reflecting the current trends of increasing international marriages and divorce families, it provides specialized consultation services for issues such as births outside of marriage and non-existence of biological parent-child relationships, which petitioners are reluctant to disclose due to various personal circumstances.

Family relationship registration tasks are delegated by the Supreme Court and often require court approval, and related laws are frequently amended, making the process complex and difficult for petitioners to understand.

Additionally, in an era of globalization with increasing international marriages and divorces leading to diversified family members, there is a need for administrative agencies to provide one-stop services related to family relationship registration.

Any petitioner residing within the district can use the service, but to receive consultation, they must make an appointment in advance either by phone or by visiting the Civil Service Department on the first floor of the district office.

The reason for mandatory advance reservation is that hojeok consultations require a significant amount of time to investigate basic data, and during face-to-face consultations, ample time must be allocated to carefully check the petitioner’s current situation and assist their understanding.

Consultations are conducted in a space where the identity of the petitioner is not disclosed.

For efficient operation of Hojeok Consultation Day, face-to-face consultation is the principle, but telephone consultations will also be provided for the convenience of petitioners as needed. A waiting list will be managed in order of advance reservations, and confirmed petitioners will receive a notification text message 2 to 3 days before their consultation.

The main consultations provided to petitioners include guidance on family relationship registration procedures and documents such as international marriage registration and name change registration, as well as matters related to birth registration outside of marriage, non-existence of biological parent-child relationship reports, discrepancies between family relationship registers and resident registration information, and errors or omissions in registration records.

A Nam-gu official said, “We will do our best to provide one-on-one customized consultations on family relationship registration so that petitioners can use administrative services without inconvenience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.