Contacted by Korean Police Over a Prostitution Investigation
Police sometimes contact foreign nationals after a business is raided and its customer ledger, booking app or payment records are seized. A call or summons like this is stressful, and it is a matter that can be handled calmly and in confidence.
Teachers, professors and company employees are among the foreign residents who receive these calls. Often the first sign is a phone call or message from an investigator saying your name or number appeared in records seized elsewhere. You may be asked to come in as a suspect, sometimes with little explanation.
This page is neutral and practical. It does not judge anyone and it does not promise any result. It describes how these cases tend to surface, what the evidence does and does not show, and what is worth sorting out before an interview. Consultations with Attorney Doyun Lee are confidential.
How these cases surface
Most start with a crackdown on a business. The police seize a customer ledger, a booking app, messages or payment records, and then work through the names and numbers they find. Contact with individual customers can follow weeks or months after the original raid.
A payment record is not the whole case
A bank or card record, or a name in a ledger, shows that something was recorded. It does not by itself establish what happened, with whom, or whether the elements of the offence are met. What actually took place, and what the evidence in the file really covers, still matter. Reviewing the record before you speak is usually more useful than explaining from memory.
Because the interview is conducted and written in Korean, what you say first becomes part of a record that is difficult to correct later. Get advice before you answer questions.
If the other person may have been a minor
This is the red line. If there is any possibility that the other person was a minor, the matter is a separate and far more serious category of offence, with a different process. In that situation, speak to a lawyer immediately, before any contact with the police beyond confirming that you will attend.
Deferral of prosecution with an education condition
For some first-time buyers, Korea has an education-conditional deferral of prosecution, commonly called the “John School” programme. Whether it is available depends on the facts and on the decision of the prosecuting authority. It is a possibility in some cases, not a promise, and it should not be assumed.
Work visas and employment
If you hold an E-1, E-2, E-7 or similar status, the criminal outcome and the immigration or employment consequences run on separate tracks. They should be reviewed together rather than one after the other. The guide on how a criminal case affects your visa, linked below, explains the immigration side. No lawyer can guarantee what an employer or the immigration authorities will decide.
Representation and published fees
If you have been summoned, a single police interview attendance is available for KRW 3,300,000~4,400,000, including pre-interview consultation, preparation, attendance and brief guidance afterwards. Additional sessions and written opinions are quoted separately. The legal fees page sets out the full schedule.
Real results in similar cases
Results reflect individual cases and do not guarantee the outcome of any similar matter.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
The police called me about a business I used. Do I have to go?
A summons for questioning is a formal step and should not be ignored. Before you attend or answer questions, take advice so that you know what the records show and what you are being asked about.
Does having a payment record mean I will be charged?
No. A payment record is one piece of evidence. What happened and what the file actually covers are separate questions, and each case is assessed on its own facts.
What if the other person might have been underage?
That is a separate and far more serious category. Speak to a lawyer immediately, before any further contact with the police beyond confirming your attendance.
Is there an education programme instead of prosecution?
For some first-time buyers there is an education-conditional deferral of prosecution, often called the John School programme. It depends on the case and on the decision of the prosecuting authority, so it cannot be assumed.
Will this affect my E-2 or E-7 visa or my job?
It can, but that depends on the outcome and on separate immigration and employment decisions. The criminal case and the status question run on different tracks and should be reviewed together. Nothing can be guaranteed in advance.
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Advertising Attorney: Doyun Lee, KBA-certified criminal law specialist, Newlawyer Law Office. This page is general legal information and does not guarantee any specific result.