76 practical explainers, grouped by the situation you are actually in.
Already outside Korea and planning to return?
Don't search for a lawyer after you're arrested at the airport. Have your Korean criminal defense attorney in place before you fly.
Pre-Entry Risk Review →Filing a complaint in Korea, preserving evidence, and what a victim is asked at the police station.
What happens when Korean police contact you, and how the first interview is prepared.
What a lawyer does that an interpreter cannot, and how representation works for foreign clients.
Voluntary submission, passwords, deleted data, laptop forensics, and search warrants.
Allegations involving consent, images, chat messages, dating apps and age verification.
DUI, theft, assault, threats, insult and defamation, and false accusation.
What changes after the police stage, how settlement works, and what a summary order means.
International divorce, civil claims, and medical or cosmetic treatment disputes.
Further practical explainers for foreign nationals in Korea.
The police contacted me. What should I do first?
Do not make a statement, written or verbal, before you understand what you are being asked about. Keep any notice, message or document you were given, and write down a timeline of what happened while it is fresh. Getting the record reviewed before the interview matters more than anything you say in the interview itself.
Is an interpreter enough, or do I need a lawyer?
An interpreter conveys the words. They do not decide what should or should not be said, spot when a translated answer has drifted from what you meant, or build a defense strategy. You have the right to have a lawyer present during police questioning in Korea, and an interpreter is not a substitute for that.
Can a criminal case affect my visa or my ability to leave Korea?
It can, depending on the charge and how the case is resolved. A criminal case and an immigration consequence run on separate tracks and are decided separately, which is why they need to be reviewed together from the start rather than handled one at a time. Whether you can travel while a case is open is also worth confirming before booking any flight.
I signed a statement in Korean I couldn't fully read. Does that matter?
Yes. The police record is written in Korean, and that written record — not your memory of the conversation — is what prosecutors and the court read afterwards. If you are ever asked to sign a Korean-language statement again, ask for it to be interpreted back to you and ask for corrections before signing, not after.
Can I hire a Korean lawyer while I am outside Korea?
Yes. Cases are handled remotely nationwide, with an initial email review and the retainer signed electronically. Many foreign clients first reach out before returning to Korea or while the case is already open and they have gone home.
Are these guides legal advice for my case?
No. They are general information about how Korean criminal procedure tends to work for foreign nationals, written to help you understand the situation before you read further. Every case turns on its own facts, so nothing here should be treated as advice on what to do in yours.
Your situation is not on this list?
Send a short summary of what happened, the police station and case number if you have them, and your interview date. A brief initial email is free.
These guides are general legal information for foreign nationals in Korea, not legal advice for an individual case. Attorney advertising. Advertising Attorney: Doyun Lee, KBA-certified criminal law specialist, Newlawyer Law Office.