Memorial
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FarewellWhat the law allows GraceNote
Occasion WriterObituary/Invite/Thanks StoryKeep
Parents' WordsFree Questions & Memoir Will
CheckFree · 5 requirements Sangju
GuideWhat to do, and by when Belongings
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& ChukmunSpirit tablet for the rite
PhotoHD/Restore Memorial
VideoAI Motion Tribute
Video3-5min Slideshow Pet
MemorialAI Portrait Pet
FarewellWhat the law allows GraceNote
Occasion WriterObituary/Invite/Thanks StoryKeep
Parents' WordsFree Questions & Memoir Will
CheckFree · 5 requirements Sangju
GuideWhat to do, and by when Belongings
GuideWhat not to throw away Jibang
& ChukmunSpirit tablet for the rite
One missing detail voids the whole thing. FREE
A holographic will needs five things, and missing any one voids all of it. Typed and printed? Void. “August 2026” without the day? Void. Signed but not sealed? Void. Check yours here, or get a draft to copy out by hand.
We cannot write it for you — and neither can a printer
A holographic will must be written entirely in your own hand. If someone else writes it, or you print it, it is void the moment it leaves the printer. What we give you is a draft to copy out by hand, and a check of the formal requirements afterwards.
The five requirements FREE
1✍️
The entire text (전문, 全文) in your own handwriting
required
★ It must be in your own handwriting from beginning to end. Anything written on a computer and printed, written by someone else for you, or typed on a typewriter is entirely void.
💬 This is the most common reason a will is void. It is common for people to write it in a word processor, print it out and only sign it.
2📅
Date written: year, month and day (작성 연월일)
required
You must write the year, the month and the day by hand. Writing only up to "August 2026" (2026년 8월) makes it void.
💬 The date is essential because, when there are several wills, it decides which one is the final one.
3🏠
Address (주소)
required
Write it so that it is specific, down to the lot number and the building and unit number. Writing only "Seoul" (서울시) makes it void. Writing your address exactly as it appears in your resident registration (주민등록) is safe.
💬 Leaving the address out altogether is the second most common mistake.
4🖊️
Name (성명)
required
You write your own name by hand.
5🔴
Seal: a stamp or a thumbprint (날인: 도장 또는 지장)
required
★ You must press a stamp (도장) or a thumbprint (지장, also called 무인). Under case law, a signature alone makes it void. It does not have to be your registered seal (인감); an ordinary inexpensive stamp (막도장) is also fine.
💬 Very many wills become void because the writer thinks "I signed it, so it must be fine" and leaves it at that.
Check what you have written
We never ask for the contents — only whether each formal element is present.
Get a draft to copy out
Identify each asset so it cannot be confused with another.
The person who will carry out the will.
What a will can and cannot do
✅ Can
Who receives how much of your property (designating inheritance shares and bequests, 상속분 지정·유증)
A specific asset to a specific person (e.g. this house to my eldest daughter)
Naming an executor (유언집행자), the person who will carry out the will
Donations and contributions for public-interest purposes
Naming a guardian (후견인) for minor children
⛔ Cannot
★ Removing the reserved share of an heir entirely — a spouse and children have a minimum share guaranteed by law (유류분, the reserved portion), which cannot be taken away even by a will
Instructions about the funeral or ancestral rites (제사) (these are not legally binding, but families often follow them if you write them down)
Leaving an inheritance directly to a pet (an animal cannot be an heir — the usual way is to leave it, with a condition, to the person who will care for the pet)
Conditions that are against the law (e.g. making it a condition that someone does not remarry)
Other ways to make a will
✍️Holographic will (자필증서)
Free
Written by hand yourself
The simplest, but the formal requirements are strict, and after death it must go through court inspection (검인) at the family court (가정법원). If it is not stored properly, there is also a risk of loss or damage.
🏛️Notarised will (공정증서)
Fee charged (depends on the size of the estate)
Made at a notary office (공증사무소)
★ If the estate is large or a dispute is expected, we recommend this method. A notary drafts it with the requirements met and keeps the original, so there is almost no risk of it being void, and no court inspection is needed either. Two witnesses are required.
🎙️Recorded will (녹음)
Free
Left by voice recording
You state the purpose of the will, your name and the date, and a witness must state that it is accurate and state their own name. Court inspection (검인) is required.
🔒Sealed secret will (비밀증서)
Free
Contents kept under seal
Without revealing the contents, you seal it and present it before two witnesses, and it must receive a certified date stamp (확정일자) within 5 days of the date it was sealed. The procedure is demanding, so it is rarely used.
Where to keep it
🗄️
Keep the original somewhere you can trust
★ Only the original of a will has effect. A copy is of no use. Keep it in a safe, a bank safe-deposit box or similar.
🗣️
Let someone know it exists
Even if you do not reveal the contents, tell one person you trust "where it is". If it cannot be found, it is as if it did not exist.
⚖️
After death: court inspection (검인) at the family court (가정법원)
Whoever finds it must not open it on their own. It is submitted to the family court still sealed, and goes through court inspection. (Holographic, recorded and sealed secret wills all require inspection.)
🔁
To change it, write a new one
Any correction or deletion must also be made by hand and sealed. If it gets complicated, it is safer to write a new one. The one with the later date takes precedence.
General guidance under Korean law, not legal advice. We do not judge whether your will is valid — only whether the formal elements are present. If the estate is large, if a dispute is likely, or if anyone may contest capacity, use a notarised will and speak to a lawyer. Korea Legal Aid Corporation 132.