Criminal law updates, case commentary, and practical legal news in Korea
Under Korean law, if Korean police seize your phone, keep the warrant, seizure list, consent forms, forensic notices, and return documents, and do not remotely wipe or alter the device. Under Criminal…
If you want to leave Korea after police contact, an interview, or a criminal complaint, the first step is simple: confirm whether there is any travel restriction, pending interview, summons, or need f…
If you suspect hidden assets in a Korean divorce, do not hack, secretly access accounts, or make unsupported accusations. Start with known records and consider lawful court procedures for disclosure o…
The first useful question is not “am I right?” but “what can I prove?” If you are a foreign patient whose clinic ignores messages, delays answers, or refuses a refund without a clear explanation in Ko…
If you are questioned about cannabis, THC vape, edible products, oils, gummies, or overseas use connected to Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is…
If you entered an apartment, office, dorm, hotel room, or workplace in Korea after a dispute, police may review whether entry or remaining there was unlawful.
A prenuptial agreement connected to Korea should be reviewed before marriage or before relying on it in divorce. Foreign agreements may matter, but they do not automatically control every Korean prope…
Under Korean law, if you left the scene of a traffic accident in Korea, preserve dashcam footage immediately, then document vehicle damage, calls, insurance reports, GPS, what you perceived at impact…
Start with the record, not with anger. If you are a foreign patient asking what money, costs, or compensation may be claimed after injury or poor treatment in Korea, the safest first step is to make t…
If a bar, restaurant, shop, or hotel in Korea reports obstruction of business, the issue is not only whether there was an argument.
The legal review becomes stronger when the story is organized as documents, dates, and damage. If you are a foreign patient trying to understand whether K-MEDI is the right route for a medical or cosm…
Under Korean law, if you are facing a DUI case in Korea, preserve the breath or blood test paperwork, driving timeline, vehicle information, dashcam, receipts, CCTV or parking records, and any acciden…
A Korean divorce settlement agreement should be specific enough to perform. Foreigners should avoid vague promises about property, child support, visitation, documents, and future cooperation. In Kore…
If a bar, hotel, taxi, rental room, or shop reports property damage in Korea, the case may depend on intent, accident, repair cost, and settlement records.
For foreign patients, timing matters because records are easier to obtain while still in Korea. If you are a foreign patient considering medical dispute mediation after records, negotiation, or clinic…
If you are investigated in Korea for marijuana or another controlled drug, preserve the substance packaging, ingredient information, prescription or purchase source, messages, payment history, travel…
A divorce lawsuit in Korea may be explained in English, but pleadings, evidence lists, and court orders are usually Korean. Foreigners should understand claims, deadlines, evidence, and hearing schedu…
If a bar fight, street argument, or physical contact led to an assault investigation in Korea, the first step is simple: preserve CCTV clues, witness names, injury photos, medical records, and message…
Under Korean law, if you were arrested or contacted in Korea as a suspected voice-phishing cash collector, preserve every recruiter message, job advertisement, instruction, payment promise, cash hando…
A safe dispute file begins before the clinic deletes messages, changes pages, or forgets the explanation. If you are a foreign patient offered revision surgery instead of a refund, apology, or compens…
If you are a foreign tenant in Korea and suspect rental deposit fraud, fake landlord information, or refusal to return deposit, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The f…
Divorce mediation in Korea can be useful for foreigners when both sides can negotiate but need court-structured terms. The goal is not simply to compromise; it is to create clear terms for property, c…
If you are accused of hit and run in Korea, the key issue is often whether you knew an accident happened and whether you had a duty to stop and assist.
If a restaurant, taxi, hotel, bar, or service provider in Korea reports that you left without paying, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to preserve p…
The first useful question is not “am I right?” but “what can I prove?” If you are a foreign patient with infection symptoms after cosmetic, dental, dermatology, or other clinic treatment in Korea, the…
Under Korean law, if you were scammed in Korea, preserve the promise or false representation, the reason you relied on it, bank or payment records, account identifiers, contracts, and what happened af…
A foreign divorce judgment does not always solve Korean record, property, or child issues automatically. Before relying on it in Korea, check finality, service, translation, certification, and whether…
Under Korean law, if a Korean fraud complaint comes from a loan, investment, sale, or business deal, preserve the entire negotiation and payment history before giving police a simplified “I could not…
Under Korean law, if you are stopped or later contacted by police over shoplifting in Korea, preserve the receipt, payment method, store timeline, bag or basket circumstances, CCTV location, and any i…
Under Korean law, if you are accused of entering an ex-partner’s home or another protected place without permission in Korea, preserve messages about access, keys or codes, prior living arrangements…
Under Korean law, if Korean police contact you after property was broken or damaged, preserve item photos, ownership records, CCTV, receipts or estimates, and the events leading to the damage. Article…
Under Korean law, if you were assaulted in Korea, photograph injuries, obtain appropriate medical records, identify CCTV quickly, preserve messages, and record witnesses and the sequence of the attack…
Under Korean law, if a fight in Korea leads to a police case, preserve CCTV, witness details, injury photos, medical records, messages, and the exact sequence of who did what before the footage or mem…
Under Korean law, if someone in Korea threatens you to obtain money or property, or to force another act, save the threat, demand, payment instructions, account identifiers, and full conversation befo…
Under Korean law, if a coworker, ex-partner, customer, or other person is stalking you at work in Korea, preserve the pattern by date and location and report any immediate safety risk rather than wait…
Under Korean law, if you are accused of stalking in Korea, stop unnecessary new contact and preserve the entire call, message, visit, and location history, including any clear request from the other p…
Under Korean law, if you are investigated for prostitution or paid sexual services in Korea, preserve the advertisement, complete messages, payment records, hotel or location records, and what actuall…
Under Korean law, Article 11(5) of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sexual Abuse punishes purchase, possession, or viewing of child/youth sexual exploitation material. Since Apr…
Under Korean law, if you were sexually assaulted in Korea, prioritize safety and medical care, then preserve clothing or medical records where relevant, messages, CCTV locations, transport and payment…
Under Korean law, if a sexual-assault allegation arose after drinking in Korea, preserve the full timeline from before drinking through the next day, including CCTV, payments, transport, calls, messag…
Under Korean law, if you are accused of unwanted sexual touching in Korea, secure CCTV locations, witnesses, venue records, messages, and a precise movement timeline before the first police interview…
Under Korean law, if Korean police contact you about sexual or obscene messages, preserve the entire conversation and identify exactly what was sent, to whom, why, and in what context before answering…
Korea can request an INTERPOL Red Notice through its National Central Bureau, but a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant — each country decides under its own law whether to act on it. Here is what it actually means and what can be done about it.
A U.S. citizen under criminal investigation in Korea can request consular notification, but the U.S. Embassy generally cannot act as defense counsel or secure release. Here is what to realistically expect.
A complaint from a former partner can be filed after you leave Korea, and the investigation does not automatically end just because the complainant later has a change of heart. Here is what actually happens next.
After an arrest, Korean police must seek a detention warrant within 48 hours or release the suspect. If a warrant is issued, pre-indictment detention can run for up to around 30 days in total, counted from the arrest.
If you have a pending or possible criminal case in Korea, deciding whether and how to fly back deserves preparation, not guesswork. Here is how to approach that decision practically.
A Korean police investigation does not stop simply because the person involved leaves the country. Here is how an investigation actually proceeds when the subject is overseas, and what it can lead to.
A practical, step-by-step guide for family members overseas when a relative is detained at Incheon Airport, covering what to gather, who to contact, and what happens in the hours immediately after.
A Korean criminal defense lawyer can take real steps on your behalf while you remain abroad, including remote consultations, filing a power of attorney, and contacting the investigating agency directly.
If there is any unresolved police contact or a possible criminal case connected to Korea, arranging a lawyer before you fly can be more useful than waiting until after you land.
Korean law requires investigators to seek a detention warrant within 48 hours of an arrest or release the suspect. Here is what happens procedurally in that window, including the rights a foreign national has during it.
There is no public lookup for a Korean arrest warrant. A lawyer can sometimes inquire with the investigating agency if the case is identifiable, but confirmation before you travel is never guaranteed.
Finding out you are accused of a crime in Korea after you have already gone home is disorienting, but distance does not remove the case. Here is what the accusation can mean and what can realistically be done from abroad.
Missing a Korean police summons and then leaving the country does not end the investigation. It can lead to a suspension of the case and a wanted or notification registration that follows you to the border.
Under Korean law, if a sexual deepfake of you appears in Korea, preserve the image or enough identifying evidence, the URL, account, posting time, and the path by which you discovered it, while avoidi…
Under Korean law, if you are investigated in Korea over sexual deepfake material, preserve the source image, editing or generation history, output files, account history, and any sharing record rather…
Whether a foreign national can be arrested on arrival at Incheon Airport depends on wanted-list status, an outstanding warrant, and how an earlier investigation was left when they last departed Korea.
If you were stopped for drunk driving in Korea and are worried about police, license, and visa issues, the first step is simple: confirm BAC, accident status, prior history, license type, and upcoming…
If you found or took a wallet, phone, card, bag, bicycle, or other lost item in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to record where and when you…
If a store in Korea accuses you of taking goods without payment or misusing a self-checkout, coupon, or receipt, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to…
If you are a foreign victim in Korea receiving repeated unwanted messages, calls, visits, gifts, workplace contact, or monitoring, the first step is not to argue with the other person. The first step…
If you have already called 112 or visited a police station in Korea, you may still be unsure whether a formal criminal case has actually begun. An officer may have listened, typed notes in Korean, ask…
If police come to your home in Korea for search and seizure, the first task is to calmly identify the warrant, scope, officers, and seized items.
Mutual divorce in Korea can be efficient, but it is not a complete property review. Foreigners should check separate written terms for property division, child support, visitation, debt, and documents…
If Korean police ask to check or take your phone voluntarily, pause long enough to understand the scope of the request.
When a foreigner divorces a Korean spouse, the first step is to understand the Korean documents and not sign a spouse-prepared agreement blindly. Property division, child support, visitation, and regi…
The legal review becomes stronger when the story is organized as documents, dates, and damage. If you are a foreign patient who had skin treatment such as laser, lifting, acne-scar care, pigment treat…
If you received a Korean summary order or fine notice, check the service date immediately before deciding whether to accept it or request a formal trial.
International divorce in Korea should begin with jurisdiction and document planning. Nationality alone does not answer where to file; residence, spouse location, child residence, property, service abr…
For foreign patients, timing matters because records are easier to obtain while still in Korea. If you are a foreign patient asking for a deposit, cancellation, partial fee, or treatment-fee refund in…
A safe dispute file begins before the clinic deletes messages, changes pages, or forgets the explanation. If you are a foreign patient unsure whether symptoms, cost, and evidence justify hiring a lawy…
A Korean divorce lawyer becomes important when the result must work in Korea: a Korean spouse, Korean child residence, Korean lease deposit, Korean bank records, or Korean court papers. The key is to…
The first useful question is not “am I right?” but “what can I prove?” If you are a foreign patient wondering whether a poor surgery outcome can be treated as malpractice in Korea, the safest first st…
If you need an English speaking divorce lawyer in Korea, the most useful first step is to prepare a short timeline and a document list before the consultation. A lawyer cannot evaluate property divisi…
A foreigner can sometimes handle a divorce in Korea, but the first question is not nationality. The first question is whether the marriage, spouse, children, residence, or property has a real connecti…
Start with the record, not with anger. If you are a foreign patient who feels the result is far outside ordinary cosmetic dissatisfaction in Korea, the safest first step is to make the dispute reviewa…
If you received a prosecutor summons in Korea, the case has moved beyond an ordinary police contact and the existing record should be reviewed before you attend.
If the police say your case has been sent to the prosecutor in Korea, the case is not automatically over and the result is not fixed.
If you received a police interview date in Korea but cannot attend because of travel, work, school, illness, or interpreter availability, handle the rescheduling issue before the date passes.
If you are a foreign victim considering a criminal complaint for sexual assault in Korea, the first step is simple: preserve evidence, get medical support if needed, and write a timeline before giving…
If intimate images or videos were shared, threatened, reposted, or shown to someone after a breakup in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to st…
If a dating app meeting in Korea later became a sex crime complaint, the first step is simple: preserve the app profile, chat history, meeting timeline, and post-meeting messages. This article is for…
If you believe a complaint against you in Korea is false and you want to file a counterclaim, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to separate factual c…
If you are accused of creating, possessing, sending, or posting a deepfake sexual image in Korea, the first step is simple: preserve the source, download path, chat context, and do not forward or dele…
If sexual messages, DMs, game chat, or open chat comments led to a police complaint in Korea, the first step is simple: save the complete conversation and do not crop only the parts that help you. Thi…
If a taxi ride in Korea led to an assault, threat, fare dispute, property damage, or police report, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to preserve the…
If you are a foreign suspect in a Korean sex-crime case and want to know whether settlement should be discussed, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to…
If you are accused of stalking or repeated unwanted contact in Korea, the first step is simple: stop direct contact immediately and check whether any warning, order, or provisional measure has been is…
If you are suspected of illegal filming in Korea and the police want to inspect your phone, the first step is simple: do not delete photos or videos; confirm the exact allegation and the phone review…
If you are a foreign worker in Korea facing sexual comments, touching, coercive messages, or pressure at work, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to s…
If you want to apologize, explain, or discuss settlement after a criminal complaint or police contact in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is not…
If a text message, phone call, voice message, or argument is being treated as a threat in Korea, do not try to explain everything in panic. The first step is to preserve the full conversation and conf…
If Korean police say deleted KakaoTalk, LINE, WeChat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, or phone messages were found by forensic review, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record…
If police contact you about suspected prostitution, solicitation, massage-shop activity, online ads, or payment records in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The…
If the police ask you to hand over your phone voluntarily for forensic review, the first step is simple: confirm the scope, reason, return process, and whether a written receipt will be issued. This a…
If a group chat, game chat, or comment thread insult led to police contact in Korea, the first step is simple: save the whole chat room context, participants, nicknames, and timestamps. This article i…
If a dating app, chat, or meetup in Korea is being investigated because the other person may be a minor, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to preserv…
If your laptop, desktop, external drive, or work computer may be reviewed in a Korean criminal investigation, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to id…
If an Instagram post, online review, community post, or story led to a defamation complaint in Korea, the first step is simple: preserve the full post, comments, audience setting, edits, deletion time…
If police come to your home, dorm, hotel room, or office in Korea with a search or seizure warrant, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to ask to see t…
If police ask about sexual images, videos, chats, links, or files involving a person who may be underage, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is not to fo…
If you believe someone filmed you without consent in Korea, the first step is simple: save the original file or link if you have it, platform details, place, time, suspect information, and witness nam…
If your intimate image or video was shared, posted, threatened, or shown without your consent in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to save lin…
If Korean police ask you to send a written statement before or instead of an interview, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is not to send a long informal…
If you are a foreign victim preparing to file a criminal complaint or give a complainant statement in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to org…
If police tell you that your case has been sent to the prosecutor in Korea, do not rush to explain the whole story before checking the record. The first step is to check the exact charge, police opini…
If the police ask you to unlock your phone or provide a password during a criminal investigation in Korea, the first step is simple: do not argue on the spot; ask whether it is voluntary, whether ther…
If you are more comfortable in English or Chinese than Korean during a police interview, the first step is simple: request interpretation and make sure the Korean written statement reflects your actua…
If the police gave you an interview date, but you need time to find an interpreter, collect records, or consult a lawyer, the first step is simple: ask early, give a concrete reason, and keep the requ…
If you received a phone call, text message, or request to visit a Korean police station and you are not sure whether you are a suspect, witness, or victim, the first step is simple: do not start expla…
Summary: If you are involved in a Korean criminal case, do not treat a police call, document request, phone request, or interview date as a simple administrative step. First confirm your procedural st…
If someone says that you touched them without consent at a nightclub in Korea, the police may investigate the incident as indecent assault even if the contact lasted only a few seconds. A crowded danc…
If you are a foreign national in South Korea and the police contact you about “illegal filming,” the first panic usually comes from one fact: a video exists. Many people assume that once an intimate v…
Foreigners in Korea can file civil claims for deposit disputes, contract issues, and damages. Attorney Doyun Lee offers English consultations.
If you've been called for police questioning in Korea, get English-speaking legal advice from attorney Doyun Lee before your interview.
Divorcing in Korea as a foreigner? Attorney Doyun Lee handles international divorce, custody, and visa implications in English and Chinese.
Facing criminal charges as an international student in Korea? Get English-speaking legal defense from attorney Doyun Lee.