Title
Apostille Korea merges scattered offices into a single O2O service hub Three offices spread across Seoul are being brought together in Myeongdong, so issuance through delivery runs as one flow.
Content
Apostille Korea said it will begin operating an integrated hub for its online-to-offline (O2O) document services on the 10th. Three offices previously scattered across Seoul are being expanded and relocated into a single site in Myeongdong, Jung-gu. The aim is to handle issuance, translation, notarisation, consular legalisation, embassy authentication and delivery in one place.
- On the 10th the three scattered offices are relocated and consolidated in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul.
- Issuance, translation, notarisation, consular legalisation, embassy authentication and overseas delivery are handled in a single process.
- Documents sent from Korea abroad, from abroad into Korea, and between two foreign countries are all covered.
- Since its launch in 2015 the service has reached 150,000 users, including some 3,000 companies operating overseas and government departments.
What the office consolidation changes
Apostille Korea had kept its offices in three separate locations, including the area near Anguk Station and the Jongno district office. Issuance, translation, notarisation, authentication and delivery were handled by teams in different places, so each stage required movement between sites. On the 10th the company expands and relocates to Myeongdong, Jung-gu, bringing those teams together. It expects closer cooperation between departments and an uninterrupted flow from one stage to the next. For users, the point of application and of checking progress is consolidated into one.
The stages a document bound abroad passes through
Submitting a document abroad begins with issuance at a public office, followed by translation and notarisation. The document then receives an apostille or consular legalisation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If the destination is not a party to the Apostille Convention, authentication by that country's embassy is added. Finally the document is delivered and filed with the institution overseas. The purpose of an agency service is to reduce the burden of visiting foreign ministries and embassies one by one, along with the errors that come with it. Apostille Korea said it bundles these stages into a single application, and that it plans to organise its country-by-country processing data into a database to improve the service.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the office moving to?
It is expanding and relocating to Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 10th. Offices previously divided between three locations are being brought together.
Which tasks are handled?
Everything from the issuance of Korean and foreign public documents to translation, notarisation, an apostille or consular legalisation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, embassy authentication and delivery.
Can companies use the service?
Yes. Around 3,000 companies operating overseas and government departments use it.
Source: 미래기업포커스 · 2019-01-09