Sexual Assault in Korea: Where to Get Help as a Foreigner
If you were sexually assaulted in Korea, you do not have to decide about reporting before you get help. Sunflower Centers provide medical care, evidence collection and counseling free of charge, 24 hours a day — and you can use them without filing a police report.
The first hours matter for reasons that have nothing to do with making up your mind. Some medical options are time-limited, and physical evidence degrades. Getting to a Sunflower Center early preserves your choices; it does not commit you to any of them.
This page explains what exists, what it costs, and what happens at each step. If you later decide to file a complaint, Attorney Doyun Lee — a Korean Bar Association-certified criminal law specialist — represents foreign victims directly in English.
What a Sunflower Center is
Sunflower Centers are government-funded centers for victims of sexual violence, located inside hospitals. Counseling, medical treatment, forensic evidence collection, psychological support and legal assistance are handled in one place, so you are not sent between a hospital, a police station and a counseling office while in crisis.
Each center works as a team: a counselor, a nurse, a clinical psychologist, and a police officer stationed on site. Emergency services run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You may bring someone with you.
You can go without reporting to the police
This is the point most often misunderstood. You can receive medical care, counseling and evidence collection at a Sunflower Center even if you do not report the crime. Evidence can be collected and stored while you decide — which means choosing not to report today does not have to mean losing the ability to report later.
Services are provided free of charge. Nobody can require you to make a statement in order to be treated.
Time-sensitive medical care
Emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis both need to be started within 72 hours to be effective. These are prescribed, and a Sunflower Center or hospital can arrange them.
For physical evidence: if you can, avoid showering, changing clothes or washing what you were wearing before you are examined. If you have already changed, bring the clothing in a paper bag rather than plastic. Keep messages, call logs and any transport or payment records — in many cases these end up mattering as much as the physical examination.
Getting help in your language
The Danuri Helpline on 1577-1366 operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in 13 languages including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Mongolian, Thai, Tagalog, Khmer, Japanese, Uzbek, Nepali and Lao. It provides counseling and three-way interpretation, and can connect you to shelter, medical, legal and police support.
For an emergency, call 112 for police or 119 for an ambulance. Not every police station has an English-speaking officer, and an interpreter is not the same thing as having someone explain what the process means for you.
If you decide to file a complaint
Your statement will be taken and written up in Korean. Ask for it to be interpreted back to you before you sign, and ask for corrections at that point rather than afterwards — a signed statement is treated as your account, and loosely translated time expressions are a common source of inconsistencies raised later.
Consistency matters more than completeness. A shorter account you can hold to is stronger than a long one with edges that move. Where a case is closed without charges, there are routes to have that reviewed depending on the stage.
Where a lawyer fits
Victim representation is not about telling your story for you. It is organizing the timeline and records before the interview, preparing for the questions that will be asked, checking the Korean-language statement, communicating with the investigator, and — for a foreign victim — keeping track of how the case interacts with visa status and any plans to leave Korea.
Attorney Doyun Lee represents both victims and people under investigation, which means a complaint is prepared knowing how the other side will read it and which parts will be tested.
Real results in similar cases
Results reflect individual cases and do not guarantee the outcome of any similar matter.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I go to a Sunflower Center without reporting to the police?
Yes. Medical care, counseling and forensic evidence collection are available whether or not you report. Evidence can be collected and stored while you decide, so not reporting immediately does not necessarily mean you cannot report later.
How much does a Sunflower Center cost?
Sunflower Centers are government-funded and services are provided free of charge.
Is there help in English?
Yes. The Danuri Helpline on 1577-1366 runs 24 hours a day in 13 languages including English, and provides three-way interpretation. Some centers also have English-speaking counselors. Attorney Doyun Lee consults foreign clients directly in English; Chinese is available by email and WeChat.
What is the 72-hour rule I keep seeing?
Emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis both need to be started within 72 hours of exposure to be effective. It is a medical deadline, not a legal one — the time limit for reporting a crime is separate and much longer.
Should I shower or change clothes first?
If you can, wait until after an examination. If you have already changed, bring the clothing you were wearing in a paper bag rather than plastic. Also keep messages, call logs and transport or payment records — these often matter as much as the physical examination.
I am leaving Korea soon. Does that end the case?
Not automatically. How an investigation continues after you leave depends on the stage and what has already been recorded, and it affects what should be done before departure. This is worth reviewing before you fly rather than after.
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 →Legal Consultation
Talk to Attorney Doyun Lee directly
You communicate directly with the Korean criminal defense attorney handling your case — in English, not through an interpreter or an intake team. KBA-certified criminal law specialist · remote retainer nationwide.
A brief initial email describing your matter is free. Detailed legal advice or evidence review is a paid advisory service (KRW 550,000). Email is available in English and Chinese.
Use the consultation chat on this website to submit your case summary, contact details, and preferred consultation time. Attorney Doyun Lee will contact you using the information you provide.
Phone consultation in English: 30 minutes, KRW 110,000. In-person consultation in English: 30 minutes, KRW 550,000.
The consultation fee is waived if you retain Attorney Doyun Lee for the matter.
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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.