Insults Have a Price Tag: Court Orders YouTuber to Pay ₩30 Million for Defaming Former Navy Officer

Summary A South Korean court has ordered a YouTuber to pay ₩30 million (approx. USD 22,000) in damages for defaming Lee Geun, a former Navy officer…

Court Stormed, Sentences Upheld: Appeal Court Confirms Prison Terms for West District Court Riot

At a Glance In January 2025, following news that an arrest warrant had been issued for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a group of his supporters…

Tattoo Law Advocate Found Guilty on Appeal, but Punishment Put on Hold

Who is involved: Kim Do-yoon, head of a local branch of Tattoo Union. A well-known tattoo artist who played a key role in pushing for Korea’s…

Accidental Cannabis Consumption Abroad: Constitutional Court Sides with Flight Attendant

Case Overview A Korean airline cabin crew member (A) visited a café in Bangkok on May 30, 2023 and consumed a donut and drink containing cannabis.…

Court Upholds Denial of Citizenship Application Filed Within 5 Years of a Fine

What happened: A foreign national with a prior fine (criminal penalty) applied for Korean citizenship before five years had passed since paying the fine. The Ministry…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Sexually Molesting an Intoxicated Person

고소장 (Criminal Complaint) — 1. 고소인 (Complainant) 성명 (Name)○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호 (Resident Registration Number)(기재 생략) 주소 (Address)○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○ 직업 (Occupation)(기재 생략) 사무실 주소…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Interference with Business

고소장 (Criminal Complaint) — 1. 고소인 (Complainant) 성명 (Name)○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호 (Resident Registration Number)(기재 생략) 주소 (Address)○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○ 직업 (Occupation)(기재 생략) 사무실 주소…

Leaked Justice: Former Police Officer Convicted for Exposing Investigation Details in Lee Sun-kyun Case

A former police officer in his 30s was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, for leaking confidential investigation information…

When Noise Complaints Turn Criminal: A Stalking Case Sparked by Apartment Living

A 46-year-old man in Chuncheon was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, for stalking and drunk driving offenses. The case stemmed from ongoing…

Bathhouse Held 40% Liable for Customer’s Fracture Due to Lack of “Caution: Slippery Floor” Notice

📌 Case Summary Date of accident: November 2022 Location: A bathhouse in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Victim: A 42-year-old woman (A) Incident:A slipped inside the bathhouse when her…

Supreme Court Finalizes Life Sentences in the Shocking Pattaya Murder Case

📌 Case Summary What Happened In May 2024, three Korean nationals operating in Thailand kidnapped, murdered, dismembered, and disposed of the body of a Korean tourist…

A Head Flick Too Far: How Classroom Discipline Became Child Abuse

Summary: Teacher Criminally Fined for Punishing First-Grade Students in South Korea A South Korean court fined an elementary school teacher 2 million KRW (about USD 1,500)…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Assault / Infliction of Bodily Injury

고 소 장 Criminal Complaint 1. 고소인 (Complainant) 성 명 (Name)○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호 (Resident Registration No.) 주 소 (Address)○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○ 직 업 (Occupation) 사무실 주소 (Office…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Unlawful Confinement

고 소 장 CRIMINAL COMPLAINT 1. 고소인 성 명○ ○ ○Name○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호Resident Registration No. 주 소○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○Address○○ City, ○○ District, ○○-dong, ○○○-○○…

Bus Driver Acquitted After Fatal Jaywalking Accident: Court Says Collision Was Unavoidable

📝 Summary A city bus driver who struck and killed a 65-year-old jaywalking pedestrian has been found not guilty, with the court ruling that the accident…

Dad Told His Kid to Record School Life — Court Says Not Guilty. Here’s Why…

📝 Summary A father in his 50s, identified as A, was put on trial for allegedly violating Korea’s Communications Privacy Act after giving his elementary-school child…

Partial Victory After 11 Years: Court Orders Wheelchair Lift Installation on Key Intercity Bus Routes

📝 Summary After 11 years of litigation, wheelchair-using plaintiffs have won a partial victory in their lawsuit demanding that intercity and commuter bus companies install wheelchair…

Supreme Court Upholds 5-Year Prison Term in Seoul City Hall Station Wrong-Way Tragedy

📌 Case Summary Incident Overview In July 2024, a driver identified as Mr. Cha exited a hotel parking lot near Seoul City Hall Station, mistakenly pressed…

Tattooing Is No Longer a Medical Act — Tattoo Artist Acquitted on Appeal

1. Case Overview Court: Seoul Southern District Court, Criminal Division 3-1 Decision Date: 27 November 2025 Case No.: 2025No1332 Charge: Violation of the Act on Special…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Aggravated Rape (Attempted Rape Resulting in Bodily Injury)

고소장 Criminal Complaint 1. 고소인 (Complainant) 성명(Name)○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호(Resident Registration No.) 주소(Address)○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○ 직업(Occupation) 사무실 주소(Office Address) 전화(Telephone)(휴대폰 / Mobile) 이메일(E-mail) 2. 피고소인…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Defamation

고소장CRIMINAL COMPLAINT — 1. 고소인 1. Complainant 성명: ○ ○ ○Name: ○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호:Resident Registration Number: 주소: ○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○Address: ○○-si, ○○-gu, ○○-dong ○○○-○○…

Apartment Residents’ Representative Council Liable for Injuries from Slip on Speed Bump — Responsibility Limited to 30%, 8.78 Million KRW Awarded

📘 Case Summary A resident who slipped on ice while passing over a speed bump inside an apartment complex sued the apartment’s Residents’ Representative Council for…

Kids Café Liable for Toddler’s Injury on Trampoline — Parents Also Partially at Fault

📘 Case Summary 🔎 Core Holding A court ordered a kids café to pay ₩500,000 to each parent after a 2-year-old child was injured on a…

Deliverer Can Be Punished Even If the Package Contained No Drugs, Rules Supreme Court

📘 Case Summary 🔎 Core Holding The Supreme Court held—for the first time—that a drug courier (“드라퍼”) can be punished under the Special Act on the…

20s Man Who Faked Mental Illness to Avoid Military Service Sentenced to Prison

📘 Case Summary A man in his 20s who pretended to have a mental illness to avoid serving in the military has had his conviction finalized.…

Court Recognizes Brain Hemorrhage as Work-Related Injury Even Without Exceeding 52-Hour Workweek

📝 Summary A South Korean court ruled that a worker’s fatal intracerebral hemorrhage can qualify as a work-related injury, even if weekly working hours did not…

[SAMPLE] Criminal Complaint – Crime of Insult

고 소 장 Criminal Complaint 1. 고소인 1. Complainant 성명○ ○ ○Name○ ○ ○ 주민등록번호(기재)Resident Registration Number(Insert) 주소○○시 ○○구 ○○동 ○○○-○○Address○○ City, ○○ District, ○○-dong ○○○-○○…

How Exit Bans Work (for Foreigners) in South Korea

1. Exit Suspention (출국정지) of Foreign Nationals A. Definition “Exit suspension” or “suspention of deaprture” (출국정지) is a term used with respect to foreign nationals (i.e.…

Posting Residents’ Names & Apartment Numbers in a KakaoTalk Group Chat Is Not a Crime If Prior Consent Exists, Supreme Court Rules

📌 Case Overview The Korean Supreme Court ruled that posting residents’ real names and building/unit numbers in a KakaoTalk group chat does not violate the Personal…

Skier Deviates from Normal S-Curve Path, Causes Collision — Court Orders ₩11.31M Compensation

🎿 Case Overview A skier who veered off the normal S-shaped trajectory on a slope and collided with another skier was held 80% liable for the…

Blocking a Neighbor’s Door with Furniture = Unlawful Confinement, Supreme Court Affirms

📌 Case Overview The Korean Supreme Court ruled that blocking a neighbor’s only exit with heavy household items constitutes unlawful confinement (감금죄) under the Criminal Act.…

Court Rules Long-Distance Transfer Due to Workplace Bullying Allegation Was Unlawful

🔹 Case Overview A public corporation moved employee B from Paju to Naju after he was accused of workplace bullying by five colleagues. B challenged the…

Korean Court Awards 3 Million KRW per Victim for Severe Late-Night Floor Noise: A Landmark Inter-Floor Noise Ruling

🧱 Case Overview A Korean court ordered an upstairs resident (B) to pay 3 million KRW in damages to each of four downstairs residents (A and…

No Duty to Name the Real Driver: Korean Appeals Court Acquits Woman in Fake Driver Case

Who are the people involved? A (32, female) – passenger in the car and family member of the car’s insurance holder. B – A’s acquaintance, believed…