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…
Criminal Records vs. Investigation Records in South Korea: A Comprehensive Overview
I. The Big Picture 1. Basic Concepts A. What is an investigation data table? An investigation data table is a table on which an investigative agency,…
An Argument on the Factory Floor, a Fatal Collapse: Court Rules Work-Related Stress Death Is Industrial Accident
A Korean administrative court has recognized the death of a factory manager who collapsed after a heated workplace argument as an industrial accident — confirming that…
“Management Reasons” Is Not a Reason: Court Voids Dismissal Notice That Lacked Specific Grounds
A Korean administrative court has ruled that a termination notice citing only “management reasons” — without any specific explanation — fails to satisfy the written notice…
565 Insults, One Year in Prison: Korean Court Sends Online Abuser to Jail for Relentless Campaign Against Actress Kim Gyu-ri
A Korean court has sentenced a man to one year in prison for posting over 565 insulting messages about actress Kim Gyu-ri (formerly known as Kim…
Step Outside the Lines, Still Protected: Constitutional Court Overturns Decision Not to Prosecute Driver Who Hit Pedestrian
Korea’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a pedestrian who was struck while slightly outside the painted lines of a (zebra) crosswalk is still entitled to the…
Squid Game’s “Gganbu Grandfather” Acquitted: Supreme Court Confirms Not-Guilty Verdict for Actor Oh Yeong-su
Korean actor Oh Yeong-su, internationally recognized for his role in Squid Game and the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe, has had his sexual…
Split Into Three Cases, Charged Three Times: Court Orders Law Firm to Refund ₩9.9 Million in Excessive Fees
A Korean court has confirmed that a law firm must return nearly half of the fees it charged a client, after finding that three separately billed…
Self-Defense Laws in South Korea in 2026: Why One Woman Was Protected and Another Was Fined
Two recent cases — actress Nana’s armed home intruder and a woman who punched a bathroom voyeur — have reignited debate about South Korea’s narrow self-defense…
Still Constitutional: Bar Exam Time Limit Survives Challenge Despite Divided Court
Korea’s Constitutional Court has narrowly upheld the rule that law school graduates must pass the bar exam within five years and five attempts — with no…
Forty Years Late Is Not Too Late: Supreme Court Rules May 18 Families Can Still Sue for Emotional Damages
Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that bereaved families of victims of the May 18, 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement can still pursue state compensation claims for emotional…
Too Poor for a Lawyer, Too Poor to Be Tried Without One: Supreme Court Overturns Conviction for Denying Public Defender
A Korean appellate court that rejected a welfare recipient’s request for a court-appointed lawyer and then proceeded to try and convict him without one has had…
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