Korean-Speaking CPA in Los Angeles

Licensed in Both the United States and Korea — U.S. CPA and KICPA
Korean and U.S. flags on a world map, representing a bilingual Korean-English CPA firm in Los Angeles

Our partners hold both a California CPA license and a Korean KICPA license — so one firm handles both sides of your position.

Speaking Korean is the easy part. What is rare is holding the license on both sides: a U.S. CPA who is also a Korean KICPA can sign off on the U.S. filing and still speak to how it lands in a Korean consolidation — without a second advisor translating between the two. For Korean-American business owners, that means tax strategy explained in the language you think in. For Korean companies operating here, it means your Seoul finance team and your U.S. filings stay consistent with each other.

What does dual licensing actually change?

It removes the translation layer between your U.S. filing and your Korean reporting.

A bilingual staff member can translate words. A dual-licensed partner can translate positions. Those are different things. When a U.S. depreciation election changes what your Korean parent reports, or when a Korean transfer-pricing document has to survive an IRS examination, the person explaining it needs to be accountable under both regimes rather than relaying between two firms who each see half the picture. That is the gap this firm was built to close.

Who actually needs a Korean-speaking CPA?

Three groups, for three different reasons.

Korean-American business owners — dentists, restaurant operators, professional practices — who want the reasoning behind a tax position explained in Korean, not just the conclusion. Korean companies with a U.S. subsidiary, where the U.S. books have to reconcile to a Seoul consolidation. Individuals with income or assets in both countries, where the two tax systems interact and a mistake in one creates exposure in the other. Each needs something different, but all three need the same thing underneath: one advisor who is accountable on both sides.

What can we handle in Korean?

Everything. Korean is a working language here, not a courtesy.

Monthly bookkeeping and financial statements, payroll, business and personal tax returns, entity formation, IRS and FTB representation, and CFO-level advisory — all available in Korean or English. Documents can be produced in either language, and we routinely deliver a U.S.-standard financial package alongside a version formatted for a Korean parent company. Nothing is limited to English-only clients.

Can you work directly with our Korea headquarters?

Yes — that is the specific reason the dual license matters.

Your Seoul finance team can discuss the U.S. structure in Korean while the U.S. entity’s filings are prepared to U.S. standards and signed by a licensed U.S. CPA. We also align the U.S. reporting package with what headquarters needs for consolidation — which avoids the common problem of a U.S. subsidiary producing statements the parent cannot actually use. Time-zone scheduling for Seoul calls is normal here, not an exception.

How do we get started?

A first conversation, in whichever language you prefer, at no charge.

Tell us which of the three situations above describes you and roughly what the year looks like — entity type, number of employees, whether there is a Korean parent. That is enough for a first conversation about what the engagement would cover and what it would cost. Consultations are free, in Korean or English, and there is no obligation to proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, fully. Consultations, financial statements, tax planning discussions and IRS correspondence can all be handled in Korean. Our partners hold both U.S. CPA and Korean KICPA licenses, so Korean is a working language of the practice rather than a translation service layered on top of it.

KICPA is the Korean Certified Public Accountant license, the Korean equivalent of the U.S. CPA. Holding both means the same person is professionally accountable under both systems — so when a U.S. tax position affects Korean reporting, or vice versa, you are not relying on two firms to coordinate across a language barrier. For cross-border situations this is the difference between advice and relay.

Both. A large part of the practice is Korean-American owners of dental practices, restaurants and professional services firms — where the business return and the owner return have to be planned together. We also handle individuals with income or assets in both countries, where the two tax systems interact and an error in one creates exposure in the other.

Our office is in downtown Los Angeles at 1120 S Grand Ave, minutes from Koreatown and accessible from most of the LA basin. That said, most of the work is handled remotely — documents, statements and consultations — so clients across California and in other states are common. Being nearby is convenient, not required.

Most ongoing clients are on a flat monthly fee covering bookkeeping, payroll and tax compliance, so there are no surprise hourly bills. The amount depends on entity count, transaction volume and whether payroll is included. Project work such as entity formation or acquisition due diligence is scoped and quoted separately before we begin. The first consultation is free.

Yes. As licensed CPAs we can represent clients before the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board, including examinations and notice resolution. If you have received a letter and are not sure whether it is routine or serious, that is worth a call before responding — the response window is often shorter than people assume.

Yes, and it is a distinct service with its own considerations — entity type, state selection, EIN, banking and the Form 5472 obligation that catches most groups. We have written that up separately: see our guide to setting up a U.S. subsidiary for a Korean company.

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