No Crime in Saying Your Pilots Are Better: Asiana Union Head Cleared of Defamation

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…

Supreme Court: Using Lawfully Obtained Personal Information in a Civil Complaint Can Be Justified Conduct

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…

₩33.8 Billion Investment Cannot Buy Entry: Court Rules Economic Contribution Cannot Override Public Safety in Immigration Decisions

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…

Korea’s Blanket Ban on Criminal Contingency Fees Is Making Things Worse, Not Better: Another Lower Court Pushes Back

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…

Dog Bite Leaves Facial Scars on Woman in Her Twenties — Insurer Ordered to Pay Full ₩100 Million Policy Limit

A Korean court has ordered an insurer to pay the full policy limit of ₩100 million to a woman whose face was bitten by a large…

Freelancer in Name Only: Supreme Court Rules Two-Year Threshold Triggers Equal Pay Standards

A producer who worked for a regional broadcaster for eleven years under successive “freelance” contracts has won a landmark ruling — the Supreme Court holding that…

Years of Caregiving, Not Just a Gift: Supreme Court Rules Long-Term Support Can Shield Inheritance from Forced Share Claims

Korea’s Supreme Court has confirmed that property received by an heir as compensation for long-term caregiving of a deceased parent can be excluded from the calculations…

Korea’s Top Math Tutor Acquitted: Paying Teachers for Exam Questions Was Private Commerce, Not a Bribe

Hyun Woo-jin, one of Korea’s most prominent private tutoring instructors, has been acquitted at trial of charges that he illegally paid active teachers for mathematics exam…

Once Given, Gone Forever: Constitutional Court Upholds Ban on Revoking Completed Gifts Even for Ungrateful Children

Korea’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a parent who transfers property to a child cannot later revoke that gift — even if the child subsequently fails…

Seven Years Minimum for Military Sexual Assault Causing Injury: Constitutional Court Says That’s Justified

Korea’s Constitutional Court has for the first time ruled on whether the Military Criminal Act’s mandatory minimum of seven years for sexual assault causing injury within…

Hurt Feelings Are Not Enough: Supreme Court Again Narrows the Scope of Criminal Insult

In its second significant ruling on criminal insult in as many months, the Supreme Court has reversed a conviction for profanity exchanged during a noise dispute,…

Cursing at Your Commander in Front of Subordinates Is Not Enough: Supreme Court Overturns 26-Year Precedent on Military ‘Insult of Superior Officers’

Korea’s Supreme Court, sitting en banc, has significantly narrowed the reach of the military criminal offense of insulting a superior officer — ruling for the first…

Ghost-Written Research for College Admissions Is Obstruction of Official Duties, Supreme Court Confirms

A pharmacy professor who directed graduate students to conduct experiments and write research reports for his child’s university applications — and the child who submitted that…

Supreme Court: Merely Carrying a Weapon Is Not Enough to Convict Under the “Habitual Offender Risk” Provision

Factual Background In July 2024, the defendant, A, was assaulted and injured by another individual, B, and afterward walked around the area carrying a weapon. Prosecutors…

Korea’s D-9 Visa (in a Nutshell)

The D-9 Visa: Starting a Business After Graduation Without Setting Up a Corporation The Problem Who Can Apply — 4 Pathways D-9-1 (Trading Business): D-9-4 (High…

Grabbing a Kitchen Knife to Face an Attacker With Scissors Is Lawful Self-Defense, Supreme Court Rules

A woman who grabbed a kitchen knife to confront her uncle after he punched her, entered her home, and threatened her with scissors has had her…

“Son of a B****” in a Group Chat Is Not Automatically Criminal Insult in Korea — Context Is Everything

In its fourth ruling this year narrowing the scope of criminal insult, the Supreme Court has reversed a conviction for a profanity-laced message sent in an…

Paying the Fine Forecloses the Fight: Seoul Administrative Court Dismisses Suit Challenging Immigration Penalty Notice

Case No. 2026Guhap50232, Seoul Administrative Court, 10th Administrative Division (Presiding Judge Jung Eun-young), Decided April 29, 2026 Factual Background Company A and its representative, B, operated…

Supreme Court Narrows Insult Charges: Words Overheard Only by Family Don’t Meet “Publicity” Standard

Case No. 2026Do1033, Supreme Court, Third Criminal Division (Presiding Justice Lee Heung-gu), Decided May 20, 2026 Factual Background In May 2023, a boundary dispute over land…

Hamburgers, Hot Sauce, and ₩70 Million: Prison Guard Sentenced to Seven Years for Corruption

A corrections officer at Seoul Detention Center who smuggled food and clothing to a gang-affiliated inmate over three and a half years — receiving ₩70 million…

Assaulted While Sleeping in a Busan Guesthouse: Japanese Tourist Receives Suspended Sentence (Probation)

A Japanese man who groped a sleeping Chinese tourist and urinated on her belongings at a shared dormitory room in Busan has received a suspended sentence…

Korea’s F-3 (Accompanying) Visa: A Practical Guide

1. Overview of the F-3 (Accompanying) Status The Accompanying (동반) status of stay is granted, under attached Table 1-2 of Article 12 of the Enforcement Decree…

Korea’s F-2 (Residence) Visa: A Practical Guide

1. Overview of the F-2 Status The Residence (거주) status of stay is a long-term status set out in attached Table 1-2 of Article 12 of…

Korea’s F-1 (Visiting Family/Cohabitation) Visa: A Practical Guide

1. Overview The Visiting Family/Cohabitation (방문동거) status of stay is a long-term status, granted under Article 12 and item 23 of attached Table 1-2 of the…

Korea’s E-10 (Seafarer Employment) Visa: A Practical Guide

1. Overview and Legal Basis E-10 is the Seafarer Employment (선원취업) status of stay, classified as a long-term status under attached Table 1-2 of the Enforcement…

Korea’s E-8 (Seasonal Worker) Visa: A Practical Guide

1. Overview and Legal Basis The E-8 (계절근로) status of stay was introduced to meet seasonal labor demand in the agricultural and fishery sectors, based on…

What Visa Do You Need to Be a YouTuber in South Korea?

1. The Issue When a foreigner engages in YouTuber activities in Korea, this may constitute a profit-oriented activity, requiring an appropriate status of stay under the…

Korea’s E-6 (Arts and Entertainment) Visa: A Practical Guide

1. Overview of the E-6 Visa The E-6 visa is a residence status for Arts and Entertainment activities (예술흥행). Under Article 12 of the Enforcement Decree…

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…