Korea’s E-5 (Professional Occupation) Visa: A Practical Guide
1. Overview of the E-5 Visa The E-5 visa corresponds to the “Professional Occupation (전문직업)” status of sojourn set forth in Article 12 of the Enforcement…
Korea’s E-4 (Technical Instruction) Visa: A Practical Guide
1. Overview of the E-4 Visa The E-4 visa is a status of sojourn for Technical Instruction (기술지도) under Article 12 [Attached Table 1-2] of the…
Korea’s E-3 (Research) Visa: A Practical Guide
1. Overview and Legal Basis The E-3 visa is a research (연구) status of sojourn under Article 12 and Attached Table 1-2 of the Enforcement Decree…
South Korea’s Dedicated Hotline for Foreign Workers’ Human Rights Complaints: Press 1 after 1345
What’s new Scope of covered violations Target groups (visa categories highlighted) Results so far Referral network Reports get routed to: Link: https://viewer.moj.go.kr/skin/doc.html?rs=/result/bbs/214&fn=temp_1783386027681100
Panic in the Dark: Officer Acquitted of False Reporting in Military Suicide Case
A military officer who reported a soldier’s suicide as an accidental discharge has been acquitted on appeal — with the court finding he acted in a…
A Drug Slang Nickname Is Evidence Enough: Court Fines Man ₩10 Million for Methamphetamine Solicitation Posts
A Korean court has convicted a man in his thirties for posting online solicitations to find someone to use methamphetamine with — finding that using drug…
Recruiting and Managing Scam Workers Is Enough for Co-Perpetrator Liability, Even Without Directly Deceiving Victims
The Supreme Court has confirmed a six-year sentence for a man who served as a recruiter and Korean-language manager at a Cambodia-based stock trading scam operation,…
Crossing the Center Line (중앙선) to Turn Left Still Counts as a “Center Line Violation” Accident, Even If the Pedestrian Wasn’t in the Opposite Lane (반대 차로)
The Supreme Court has ruled that a driver who crossed a solid center line to make a left turn, then struck a pedestrian at the entrance…
Court Skipped the Phone Numbers in the File Before Trying Public Notice — Supreme Court Says That’s Unlawful
The Supreme Court has ruled that a court cannot resort to public notice service and proceed with trial in a defendant’s absence if contact numbers for…
Calling Someone a “Cheeky Punk” in a Heated Argument Is Not Criminal Insult, Supreme Court Rules
Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that telling someone “you cheeky little punk, who do you think you are” during a heated argument does not meet the…
Drunk Driver Who Cooperated in Switching Drivers Convicted of the Crime of ‘Aiding and Abetting Harboring of a Criminal’
Korea’s Supreme Court, sitting en banc, has ruled that a drunk driver who switches seats with a passenger to let that passenger falsely claim responsibility commits…
Secretly Recording a Partner’s (Affair) Conversation Is Still a Crime, Court Rules
A man who secretly recorded conversations between his unfaithful spouse and her affair partner — by hiding a recording device on her body and clothing —…
If the Father Won’t Press Charges, the Prosecution Can’t Either: Supreme Court Voids Assault Conviction
A son convicted and fined for assaulting his father has had his conviction voided — because the father told investigators he did not want his son…
A Fake Passport from Two Decades Ago Still Blocks Naturalization, Court Rules
A Korean court has upheld the government’s refusal to naturalize a foreign national whose only disqualifying conduct was using someone else’s passport to enter the country…
Pneumonia Killed Him, But Pneumoconiosis Is Why: Court Recognizes Industrial Accident Where Work Disease Accelerated Fatal Illness
A Korean administrative court has ruled that a miner who died of pneumonia must be recognized as an industrial accident fatality — because his work-related pneumoconiosis…
Photographed Naked During a Police Raid, Then the Photo Was Shared in a Group Chat: State Ordered to Pay ₩8.3 Million
A Korean appellate court has upheld and slightly increased the state’s liability for damages after police officers photographed a woman in the nude during a prostitution…
Boiling Water on a Sleeping Wife: Court Rejects Non-Punishment Statement and Sentences Husband to Three and a Half Years
A Korean court has sentenced a man to three years and six months in prison for pouring boiling water on his sleeping wife’s face — exceeding…
Broker Who Arranged 75 Instances of TOPIK Exam Impersonation Gets Three Years
Case No. 2026Godan392, Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 12 (Single Judge Choi Hae-jin), Decided June 24, 2026 Factual Background A, a Chinese national residing in…
A Quick Guide to Korea’s Law-Related Professions
1. Attorney (변호사, byeonhosa) A. Governing Statute Attorney-at-Law Act (변호사법) B. Mission and Duties Attorneys are entrusted with the mission of upholding fundamental human rights and…
South Korea’s Digital Nomad (Workation) Visa
IMPORTANT UPDATE (July 7, 2026) South Korea Makes Digital Nomad Visa Permanent: Lower Income Bar, Longer Stays Ministry of Justice press release, July 7, 2026 Link:…
RE: A Foreigner’s Obligation to Carry Identification at All Times (in South Korea)
1. The Legal Obligation — Article 27 of the Immigration Act Article 27(1) of the Immigration Act provides as follows. “A foreigner staying in the Republic…
The Duty to Notify an Arrested Foreigner of Consular Notification Rights (in South Korea)
I. The Big Picture 1. Relevant Statutes and Conventions The basis for the duty to notify of consular notification rights when arresting or detaining a foreigner…
An Unconvicted Detainee’s Right of Access to Counsel in South Korea
1. Constitutional Basis and Legal Character An unconvicted detainee’s right of access to counsel is a constitutional fundamental right derived directly from Article 12(4) of the…
The Execution of Seizure and Search in South Korea: Recent Precedent and Principles
1. Overview Seizure and search is a compulsory measure by which an investigative agency forcibly acquires an item of evidence or an object to be confiscated,…
The Flow of Criminal Procedure from Arrest to Conviction in South Korea
Below, the procedure from the point a suspect is arrested to the point of receiving a conviction at a criminal trial is explained in chronological order.…
The Exclusionary Rule for Unlawfully Collected Evidence in South Korea
The Big Picture 1. The Basis and Principle of the Exclusionary Rule Article 308-2 of the Criminal Procedure Act expressly codifies the exclusionary rule for unlawfully…
Key Provisions of the ‘Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers’ and the ‘Police Investigation Rules’ in South Korea
The Big Picture 1. The Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers A. Purpose and basic principle The Act on the Performance of Duties…
Acquittals for ‘Obstruction of Official Duties’ under Korean Law
The Big Picture 1. The Legal Premise The offense of obstruction of official duties provided in Article 136 of the Criminal Act is established only where…
Self-Defense under Korean Law: Recent Key Judgments and Doctrinal Trends
The Big Picture 1. The Legal Basis of Self-Defense Article 21 of the Criminal Act provides for self-defense as follows. “An act performed to defend one’s…
The Criminal Offense of ‘Obstruction of Business’ in Korea: A Detailed Explanation
The Big Picture 1. Overview and Legislative Purpose The offense of obstruction of business is an offense provided in Article 314 of the Criminal Act, punishing…
Criminal Defamation via Truthful Statements Under Korean Law
The Big Picture 1. Overview Article 307(1) of the Criminal Act provides that “a person who publicly states a fact and thereby defames another is punished…
The Criminal Offense of ‘Insult’ in South Korea: Recent Case Trends
1. Legal Basis and Basic Structure Article 311 of the Criminal Act provides that “a person who publicly insults another is punished by imprisonment with or…
The Standards for Distinguishing Assault (폭행) from Bodily Injury (상해) under Korean Law
1. The Difference in Protected Legal Interest and Basic Concept Assault (폭행) and bodily injury (상해) are both offenses that infringe a person’s body, and they…
PIPA (Personal Information Protection Act) in South Korea: A Practical Guide
1. Overview of PIPA and Its Scope of Application to Foreigners A. The purpose and basic structure of PIPA The purpose of the Personal Information Protection…
South Korea Re-Entry Bans for Foreign Nationals: An Overview
I. The Big Picture 1. Introduction — The Government’s Discretion over the Entry and Re-entry of Foreigners Immigration administration is a state administrative function that seeks…
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