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…
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…
[UPDATE] South Korea’s Digital Nomad (Workation) Visa: The F-1-D
IMPORTANT UPDATE Ministry of Justice press release, July 7, 2026 Summary: Requirement Details 1 Foreign-sourced income Income must come from abroad, not from Korean sources 2…
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…
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