1. Legislative Background and History A. Debate on the Need to Introduce the Crime of Distortion of Law (법왜곡죄) The crime of distortion of law (beopwaegok-joe;…
1. Overview and History A. Meaning of a Constitutional Complaint Against a Court Judgment A constitutional complaint against a court judgment (재판소원) is a mechanism by…
1. Constitutional Basis Article 104(2) of the Constitution provides that “The Justices of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of…
1. Concept of Withdrawal of Indictment Withdrawal of indictment is a procedural act by which the prosecutor retracts, before the court, an indictment that has already…
Key takeaways Starting October 2, 2026, South Korea’s Prosecutors’ Office (Geomchalcheong) will be abolished. The Public Prosecution Service (Gongsocheong), under the Ministry of Justice, which will…
Korea’s Supreme Court has confirmed that a hospital’s decision to refuse an emergency patient — a teenager who later died after being turned away by multiple…
A Taiwanese national who arrived at Gimhae International Airport carrying over five kilograms of methamphetamine in a suitcase — while claiming he believed it contained security…
A care home director acquitted at trial has had a conviction confirmed by the Supreme Court — with the court finding that systemic failures in fall…
As of 2024, well over 180,000 foreign spouses live in South Korea as marriage immigrants — the official term for people who relocated there because they…
In its fifth significant ruling this year on the limits of criminal insult, the Supreme Court has overturned a conviction for a comment posted on a…
Two police officers and two firefighters charged with negligent homicide after a drunk woman died following their attempt to stop her from biting off her own…
A room cafe operator who allowed teenagers into his establishment — consisting of 16 private booths furnished with mattresses and pillows — has had his acquittal…
A Korean Army sergeant who leaked classified military materials — including documents related to ROK-US combined exercises — to a Chinese intelligence operative over seven months…
In only the second ruling of its kind since the Constitutional Court was established, Korea’s Constitutional Court has found that the complete absence of legislation providing…
A graduate student who built drones and flew them across the military demarcation line into North Korean airspace on four occasions has been acquitted of general…
A metal worker who spent over thirteen years cutting and grinding steel and aluminum in an unventilated underground workspace — and died of lung cancer —…
A defendant who learned that judgment had been entered against him — but did not know the judgment had been served through public notice rather than…
A man who posted a fake mass stabbing threat online — triggering the deployment of armored vehicles, special forces units, and 529 police officers over nearly…
A golfer who lost her balance and fell from a moving golf cart while drinking water has won damages against the golf course operator — even…
Court and Division: Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 12 Presiding Judge: Kang Jae-won Case Type: Action to revoke disciplinary action Decision: Plaintiff’s claim upheld Factual Background…
Two members of a Seoul university drug ring — including a licensed physician — have had their narcotics convictions permanently overturned because the prosecutor who charged…
Korea’s Supreme Court has confirmed a damages award against Nippon Steel Corporation in favor of the bereaved family of a wartime forced labor victim — and…
A woman whose husband confessed to a seven-year affair on his deathbed has won a civil damages claim against his affair partner — a woman who…
A customer who suffered second-degree burns after hot ginger tea spilled from a disposable cup has lost her damages claim against the café — with the…
Two Korean civil courts have now ruled that a victim of deepfake sexual imagery is entitled to compensation for psychological suffering caused by the existence of…
A university professor who told another student that his advisee was receiving treatment for depression has been convicted of defamation — with the court finding that…
A building owner who continued renting his motel to a tenant he knew was running a prostitution operation cannot keep the rent he received during that…
Factual Background A, a 27-year-old male gym trainer in Daegu, went with coworkers to a wakeboarding facility in July 2021 around 10 a.m. At the dock,…
Police have cleared the head of Asiana Airlines’ pilot union of defamation charges brought by Korean Air pilots — finding insufficient evidence that he committed an…
Court: Supreme Court, Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Justice Park Young-jae) Case No.: 2026Do171 Decision Date: May 14, 2026 Factual Background The defendant, A, was the director…
A foreign national who purchased land worth over ₩33.8 billion for a major tourism development project in Jeju has been denied entry to Korea — and…
A third lower court has now openly challenged the Supreme Court’s 2015 en banc ruling that made criminal success fees categorically void — finding that the…
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