When collection calls come several times a day, the first question is how many are allowed. Article 16(1) of Korea’s Individual Debtor Protection Act bars a debt collector from making more than 7 collection contacts in 7 days for each debt. A contact is any visit, or anything that delivers words, writing, sound, images or objects to you, and Decree Article 15 leaves out of the count missed visits up to 2 per 7 days, calls you hung up on up to 2 a day and notices giving only the debt details up to 1 a day, and adds together all collectors working the same debt. If you have surgery, a hospital stay, a wedding or a death in the family, Article 17 lets you pause contact for 3 months.
1. Up to 7 contacts in 7 days per debt — contacts from several collectors are added together.
2. Missed visits (2 per 7 days), hung-up calls (2 a day) and debt-details-only notices (1 a day) aren’t counted.
3. Surgery, hospital stay, marriage or death: a 3-month pause — a collector who ignores it faces a fine of up to 20 million won.
Checker
Updates as you type. Per debt, 7 days. Left out of the count: missed visits up to 2 per 7 days, hung-up calls up to 2 a day, notices giving only the debt details up to 1 a day (Decree Art. 15(2)). Enter the per-day counts separated by commas. Notices the law requires, and explanations given the same day you asked, aren’t collection contacts at all — leave them out of the total. Enter other collectors’ contacts after their own exclusions.
What counts as a collection contact — Act Art. 16, Decree Art. 15(1)
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Contact (Act (1)) | Visiting you, or delivering words, writing, sound, images or objects to you | — |
| In detail (Decree (1)1) | Visits, calls, post, email, fax or any other method used to contact you for collection | Texts and messengers read as “other methods” |
| Not a contact (Decree (1)2(a)) | Notices that laws or terms require about collection | Such as the acceleration notice |
| Not a contact (Decree (1)2(b)) | An explanation you asked for, given on the day you asked | Next day, it counts again (our reading) |
| Limit (Act (1)) | No more than 7 in 7 days per debt | Two debts are counted separately |
Left out of the count — Decree Art. 15(2)
| Act | How many are left out | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| A visit that failed because you weren’t in, and the like | 2 per 7 days | The third missed visit counts |
| A call you hung up on, so the needed conversation didn’t happen | 2 a day | The third that day counts |
| A notice giving only the debt details — creditor, amount, arrears, period (not if it urges payment) | 1 a day | — |
| Several collectors on the same debt | All added together | The bank and its collection agency together |
Working it through — our example
Say you had 12 collection contacts in 7 days: one missed visit, three hung-up calls on day one and one on day two, and one text giving only the debt details. Left out: 1 visit + 2 calls (day one, up to 2) and 1 call + 1 notice = 5, so 12 − 5 = 7 are counted — within the limit. With 13 contacts on the same pattern it would be 8, 1 over. The checker opens on the first case.
Pausing contact — Art. 17, Decree Art. 16
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Length (Decree (1)) | 3 months from the day the collector confirms the fact with you; by agreement a period within 3 months, extendable once by the same length | — |
| Disaster (Act 1, Decree (3)) | Your area is declared a special disaster area and covered by special support | — |
| Surgery or hospital (Decree (4)1) | You, your spouse, your or your spouse’s parents or children have surgery or a hospital stay after an accident or illness | — |
| Marriage (Decree (4)2) | You or your parent or child marries | — |
| Death (Decree (4)3) | A death among the people in the surgery row | — |
| How often (Decree (5)) | Once per ground | — |
| Exception (Act proviso, Decree (2)) | Where the aim is to delay or block collection without just cause (out of contact, etc., by notice) | — |
Blocking times and channels — Art. 18, Decree Art. 17
You can ask a collector not to contact you (1) during times you name that disrupt daily life, up to 28 hours a week, and (2) through channels you name. Pick no more than two of visits, calls, texts, email and fax, and you can’t name visits and calls together. The collector must comply unless, for example, that would leave no way to contact you.
Breaches — Arts. 19, 44, 49, 52
- More than 7 in 7 days (Art. 16(1)) or contact during a pause (Art. 17): a fine of up to 20 million won (Art. 52(3)5). Ignoring a time or channel request: up to 20 million won (Art. 52(3)6).
- A collector must state their organisation, name and contact details and show ID (Art. 19(1)); failing that, up to 10 million won. Using titles like “informant” or “detective”: up to 3 years in prison or a 30 million won fine (Art. 49).
- If a collection company and the like breaks this Act, you can claim statutory damages of up to 3 million won instead of proving your loss (Art. 44). Who counts as “a collection company and the like” is in Art. 43, which we didn’t read.
Asking your lender directly for a debt adjustment after arrears is in the debt adjustment request calculator.
Checklist
- ☐ Keep a log by date, time and channel (our tip)
- ☐ Count per debt over 7 days — add the bank’s and its agency’s contacts
- ☐ Surgery, hospital stay, marriage or death: tell the collector and ask for a 3-month pause
- ☐ Name times to avoid (within 28 hours a week) and channels (two or fewer)
- ☐ Check the collector gave organisation, name and contact details and showed ID
Questions that remain
How are the 7 days cut?
The Act says “7 in 7 days” and the Decree gives only the counting rules; whether that is a calendar week or any 7 days in a row isn’t in what we read. The checker counts only the 7 days you enter.
Do contacts before the Act count?
Addendum Article 4 says the count starts with contacts made after the Act took effect.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Act on the Management of Personal Financial Claims and the Protection of Personal Financial Debtors Arts. 2, 15–19, 44, 49, 52 — source (current text, effective 2 January 2026, Act No. 21065, amended 1 October 2025 by another Act; checked 3 November 2026). Collection and collectors (Art. 2), notice 3 business days before collection starts (Art. 15), 7 in 7 days (Art. 16), pauses (Art. 17), time and channel limits (Art. 18), identification (Art. 19), statutory damages of 3 million won (Art. 44), penalties (Art. 49), fines (Art. 52), Addenda of Act No. 20054, Arts. 4 and 5.
- Not read. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; Art. 43 (who is “a collection company and the like”); FSC notices; case law.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Act on the Management of Personal Financial Claims and the Protection of Personal Financial Debtors Enforcement Decree Arts. 15–17 — source (current text, effective 1 October 2025, Presidential Decree No. 35811; checked 3 November 2026). What counts and how (2 per 7 days, 2 a day, 1 a day, adding collectors), the 3-month pause, its grounds and once-only rule, 28 hours a week, two channels at most, not visits and calls together.
- Not read. Acts and counts set by notice.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- Financial Supervisory Service — reporting illegal collection (we didn’t read the reporting process).
- Korea Legal Aid Corporation or a lawyer — statutory damages claims.
Written on 3 November 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
