Residents of a small Nova Scotia community are planning a fundraiser to help two local men who have spent the last 10 days in a South Korean jail following a bar fight.

Port Hawkesbury residents Scott Thompson and Jason Beaton, who have been teaching English outside Seoul, were arrested March 11.

Beaton's mother, Joan, says the men were leaving a bar early that morning when they were attacked by several Korean men. When police arrived, they arrested the two Canadians and charged them with assault.

The two families have hired a lawyer in Korea and have been in touch with the Canadian consulate. But they say they don't know what to expect from the Korean justice system. There's no word on when the men will appear in court.

Neighbours in Port Hawkesbury, on Cape Breton near the Canso Causeway, are rallying to help the men.

"They're in a foreign country. The laws are different," said Mayor Billy Joe MacLean. "We understand it can be very expensive in Korea."

Beaton worked at MacLean's bar for several years before heading to Korea and bar staff are planning a benefit for the men.