What’s Final Is Final: Supreme Court Rules Appellate Courts Cannot Retry Unappealed Convictions
When only one side appeals part of a split verdict, the unappealed portion becomes legally final and is off-limits for the appellate court — even if…
Banned for Life from the Library — But the Ban Itself Is Void: Court Rules Permanent Exclusion Goes Too Far
A Korean court has invalidated a public library’s decision to permanently ban a disruptive patron, finding that while some restriction was warranted, a lifetime ban exceeds…
Malicious Complaints, Real Harm: Court Orders Parent to Pay ₩30 Million After Teacher Develops Facial Paralysis
A Korean court has ruled that a parent whose relentless and sometimes fabricated complaints caused a school administrator to develop depression and facial paralysis must pay…
Three Espressos and No Sleep: Insurance Agent Gets Three Years for Orchestrating ₩1 Billion Arrhythmia Fraud
A Korean insurance agent who created a detailed manual coaching clients on how to fake heart arrhythmia symptoms — and how to manipulate medical tests to…
One Witness Who Stayed Quiet: Court Acquits Resident Who Insulted Building Manager, Citing Lack of Public Element
A Korean appellate court has overturned a verbal insult conviction, finding that the presence of a single bystander who never passed the information on to anyone…
A Dying Whisper Can Still Be a Valid Will: Supreme Court Defends Dictated Testaments for the Critically Ill
South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that a terminal patient’s difficulty speaking does not automatically disqualify a dictated will — and that courts must look beyond…
Showing Up on Time and Still Getting Arrested: Supreme Court Says ‘That Can Be Unlawful’
A valid arrest warrant does not automatically justify its execution. If the suspect voluntarily appears at the agreed time and shows no signs of fleeing or…
Fired Your Lawyer? That Will Be ₩30 Million : Court Strikes Down Law Firm’s Punitive Termination Clause
A Korean appellate court has voided a law firm’s retainer clause that required clients to pay a fixed ₩30 million penalty for terminating the engagement —…
Training Is No Excuse: Supreme Court Confirms Dog Trainer Convicted of Animal Abuse for Prolonged Physical Restraint
A Korean dog trainer who injured a small elderly poodle by physically restraining it for fourteen minutes after it bit him has had his animal abuse…
Complete Guide to South Korean Visa Categories: A to H (2026)
1. Overview and Legal Basis Any foreign national seeking to enter the Republic of Korea must hold a status of stay (visa) (Immigration Act, Article 10(1)).…
A Lighter, a Cockroach, and a Neighbor’s Death: Four-Year Sentence Upheld for Fatal Apartment Fire
A Korean appellate court has confirmed a four-year custodial sentence for a man who started a fatal fire in his studio apartment while trying to kill…
Married and Silent: Court Orders Matchmaking Member to Pay ₩47.52 Million for Hiding Wedding from Agency
A Seoul court has ruled that a matchmaking service member who married through the agency but concealed the fact — and quietly withdrew his membership before…
Fidgeting on a Bus Is Not a Crime: Appeals Court Acquits Man Convicted of Stealing Wallet He May Never Have Touched
A Korean appellate court has overturned a conviction for misappropriation of lost property, finding that suspicious behavior on a bus — without direct evidence of the…
One Safety Officer Was Not Enough: Marathon Organizers Ordered to Pay ₩350 Million After Pedestrian Left in Vegetative State
A Seoul court has held the organizers of a large-scale marathon jointly liable for catastrophic injuries suffered by a 77-year-old woman who was struck by a…
You Cannot Obstruct What Was Already Unlawful: Supreme Court Acquits Man Who Submitted Another’s Urine Sample
Submitting someone else’s urine to evade a drug test does not constitute obstruction of official duties — if the police demand for the sample was itself…
Victim and Perpetrator, Both Liable: Court Orders Mutual Damages After Groping and Online Exposure
A Korean court has issued a rare mutual damages ruling — ordering a sexual assault perpetrator to compensate his victim, while also finding the victim liable…
Cracking the Blanket Ban: Another Court Rules Criminal Contingency Fees Must Be Assessed Case by Case
A second lower court has now pushed back against the Supreme Court’s 2015 blanket prohibition on criminal success fees, ruling that such agreements should be evaluated…
Tried and Convicted Without Ever Being There: Supreme Court Orders Retrial for Defendant Who Missed Both Instances Through No Fault of His Own
Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that where a defendant was absent from both the trial and appellate proceedings through no fault of his own — and…
You Cannot Punish What the Rulebook Does Not List: Court Strikes Down Unlisted Disciplinary Measure
A Korean administrative court has ruled that an employer cannot impose a form of disciplinary action that does not appear in its own internal disciplinary rules…
No Legal Personality, No Joint Liability: Supreme Court Blocks Privacy Law Prosecution of Fire Station Interviewer
A fire station interviewer who misused a job applicant’s personal information cannot be prosecuted under the Personal Information Protection Act’s dual liability provision — because the…
Investigator and Prosecutor Cannot Be the Same: Court Dismisses Charges Over Separation-of-Functions Violation
A Seoul court has thrown out criminal charges against a university professor and graduate student on the grounds that the prosecutor who investigated the case was…
Same Floor, Separate Doors: Court Rules Hospital and Pharmacy Can Coexist on the Same Level Without Violating Separation Rules
A Korean appellate court has confirmed that a pharmacy and a medical clinic located on the same floor of the same building do not violate the…
Same Desk, Different Grade: Court Rules That Giving Veterans a Higher Job Title at Hire Is Sex Discrimination
A Korean administrative court has drawn a clear line between two types of preferential treatment for military veterans in hiring: crediting service time toward pay is…
The Clock Doesn’t Start Until the Insurer Actually Knows: Supreme Court Resets the Timeline on Policy Cancellation Rights
A Korean insurer’s right to cancel a policy for a policyholder’s failure to report a change in occupation does not begin running from when a claim…
Propofol for Profit, but Not “Drug Dealing”: Supreme Court Draws a Sharp Line on How Doctors Can Be Charged
A doctor who secretly administered propofol to over a hundred patients under the guise of cosmetic procedures — pocketing ₩4.1 billion in the process — has…
Ten Years of Partnership, One Changed Password: Court Rules Unilateral Email Lockout Is Void
When a decade-long law firm partnership collapsed, a dispute over a shared email account ended up in court. The ruling clarifies that jointly used business assets…
Performance Bonuses Are Profit-Sharing, Not Wages: Supreme Court Excludes Management Bonuses from Retirement Pay Calculations
South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that annual performance bonuses tied to a company’s net profit are not “wages” in the legal sense and therefore cannot…
“You’re Remarrying? Hand Over the Dog.” — Court Rules the One Who Paid Gets to Keep the Pet
A Korean court has settled a dispute over a dog caught between a separating couple, making clear that animal registration does not transfer ownership — and…
He Collected ₩700 Million in Insurance for Corn Removal — Then the Insurer Tried to Sue Again. The Supreme Court Said No.
The Background – A policyholder received cryotherapy for corn (티눈) removal thousands of times and successfully claimed approximately ₩700 million in surgical disease benefits under his…
‘I Wanted to Test the Police’ — Man Who Posted Fake Airport Bomb Threats Ordered to Pay ₩29 Million in Damages
The Incident – On the night of August 6, 2023, a man in his 30s identified as A posted six bomb threat messages over a three-and-a-half-hour…
Eight-Time Theft Offender Gets Sentence Doubled on Appeal by Stealing Again Days After Release
The Case – A 42-year-old man identified as A, with eight prior theft convictions, was released and promptly reoffended while still under investigation for an earlier…
Stealing from Your Parents Is Now a Complaint-Required Crime: Supreme Court Applies Reformed Family Theft Rule
Following a landmark constitutional ruling that upended how Korean law treats theft within families, the Supreme Court has clarified that crimes committed after the constitutional court’s…
Don’t Blame the Family: Constitutional Court Rules That Criminalizing Failure to Pass On Military Notices Is Unconstitutional
South Korea’s Constitutional Court has unanimously struck down a provision of the former Military Service Act that made it a criminal offense for family members to…
Guaranteed Admission, Guaranteed Prison: Supreme Court Upholds Sentence for ₩850 Million University Placement Scam
South Korea’s Supreme Court has finalized a prison sentence for a fraudster who pocketed ₩850 million by falsely promising to use insider connections to secure a…
One Wrong Form, ₩120 Million in Damages: The Costly Difference Between Withdrawing an Appeal and Dropping a Case (Entirely)
A simple (?) clerical error by a law firm employee — filing the wrong withdrawal document with the court — cost a client a hard-won property…
KLAWGURU.COM 
You must be logged in to post a comment.