Chinese-Korean law firm manager helps fellow immigrants
Cho Eun-jeong, consultant coordinator at law firm Jeongsae. / Yonhap
By Jhoo Dong-chan
An ethnic Korean from China is providing legal services for Chinese-Koreans as well as Chinese companies that plan to operate in Korea.
Serving as a coordinator at law firm Jeongsae, Chinese-Korean Cho Eun-jeong, 36, has helped introduce a number of fellow immigrants to lawyers since she took up the post in September 2015. She is also head of the law firm’s Korea-China legal consultation center.
“A lot of immigrants from China face difficulties because of the absence of simple legal knowledge. A little legal advice would help a number of people in such cases. So, I signed up for the task,” Cho said.
Born in Yanji, the seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Eastern Jilin Province, China, Cho graduated from Yanbian University with a Korean literature major and came to Korea in 2006.
“My grandfather came to China during the Japanese occupation, and had missed his hometown until he passed away,” she said. “So, I decided to come to Korea to understand who I really am.”
Like most other ethnic Koreans from China, Cho first worked as a waitress in a restaurant in Korea. Then, she joined the Christopher Leadership Center Korea Chapter. Completing the leadership course, Cho also served as an instructor at the center for two years.
Cho, then, started her career with law firms after she was hired by law firm KR and Baro as a coordinator in 2010.
She obtained Korean citizenship in 2012, and started working with Jeongsae in 2015 as head of the Korea-China legal consultation center.
“There have been a number of cases of Chinese immigrants being deported without receiving basic legal advice. Sometimes, fraudulent lawyers get in the way to rip off those in need,” she said.
“It is a great pleasure to help them legally and find a way for them to settle here. So, I can’t quit because of the people out there looking for legal help.”
Cho also helps provide legal services for Korean and Chinese companies in cooperation or networking.
In a bid to be a bridge for them, Cho established KBI Cooperation in August 2015. A year later, with an increase of capital by issuing new stocks, the name was changed to Good Culture where she is now a director.
She invited officials from major Chinese companies Xiaomi, Baidu and Tencent to hold the fourth Seoul App Festival in September 2015.