Personal rehabilitation creditors' meeting and how often you attend court

In most cases, you only need to attend court once in personal rehabilitation (gaein hoesaeng): on the date of the creditors' meeting. Many people ask how many times they have to go to court and whether they really must attend the creditors' meeting, so we have gathered the answers in the order these questions come up in consultation.

Do I have to go to court many times?

Usually not. Personal rehabilitation proceeds by submitting an application and various documents to the court, and the court reviews those documents. That is why court attendance usually ends after one visit.

That one visit is the creditors' meeting date. Once the court sets the date of the creditors' meeting, the debtor generally attends in person on that day.

The creditors' meeting is not a place where creditors confront you

Because of its name, many people imagine it as a place where creditors come all at once to grill them. In reality, the creditors' meeting is a step in which the court checks the debtor's situation as it moves the personal rehabilitation procedure forward.

Creditors have the right to attend, but they rarely actually show up. In most cases, you attend at the set time, go through identity verification and a brief procedure, and it is over. However, in cases involving an individual creditor, that creditor sometimes raises an objection to the proceedings.

Do many creditors show up?

No. Financial companies and card companies often do not attend the creditors' meeting in person, so you will rarely see an atmosphere where many creditors crowd in and bombard you with questions. If you have no individual creditors and only debts to ordinary financial companies, you can set the burden aside and attend at ease.

There are about three things that happen in the courtroom

The assigned panel of judges conducts it. It may differ from case to case, but it usually goes in the following order.

• Confirming that the debtor has attended in person
• Explaining the repayment plan
• Checking how far the procedure has progressed

Unless there are special circumstances, the creditors' meeting does not take long.

What happens if I do not attend?

If the court has set a creditors' meeting date, you should not miss it without a legitimate reason. Not attending can put you at a disadvantage in how the case proceeds, and in some cases it may even affect the personal rehabilitation procedure itself.

If unavoidable circumstances make it difficult to attend, it is important to consult your attorney before the date and decide how to respond.

When the procedure feels overwhelming because it is your first time

For someone going through personal rehabilitation for the first time, everything is unfamiliar, from the documents to prepare and the court schedule to what happens at the creditors' meeting. Our office stays with you through the entire process, from the personal rehabilitation application and corrections to the creditors' meeting, plan confirmation, and discharge, and explains what is happening at each stage.

Summing up

• In personal rehabilitation, you usually attend court only once, on the creditors' meeting date.
• The creditors' meeting is an official session the court holds to move the procedure forward, and financial company creditors usually do not attend.
• Once a date is set, be sure to attend, and if you have circumstances that prevent it, consult your attorney in advance.

Rather than worrying vaguely, the most important thing is to understand the procedure accurately and prepare.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 This article provides general legal information; specific advice is given through consultation.