Detention Warrant Denied in Korea for Weapon Possession: In this recent case, Kang & Shin successfully opposed the prosecution’s request for detention, allowing the client to remain out of custody while the investigation continued. Because a detention warrant hearing usually takes place shortly after the prosecution requests a warrant, the defense must quickly identify the alleged grounds...
A criminal appeal to the Supreme Court in Korea (known as sanggo (상고) in Korean), is fundamentally different from an ordinary appeal to an appellate court. In the first appeal (known as hangso (항소) in Korean), the appellate court may review factual findings, evidence, legal issues, and sentencing. The Supreme Court, by contrast, generally focuses on whether the appellate judgment contains a...
Kang & Shin successfully represented a foreign service member in a special intimidation case dismissed in Korea at the police investigation stage. The case arose from allegations of retaliatory driving. The police alleged that the client had blocked another driver’s path, attempted to direct the vehicle toward the shoulder, and braked suddenly in front of it. These allegations led to a...
After the appeal brief is submitted, the criminal appeal moves into the hearing stage. A criminal appeal hearing in Korea can be short or lengthy depending on the case. If the defendant admits the charge and only argues that the sentence is too heavy, the case may conclude relatively quickly. If the defendant denies the charge or challenges the first-instance court’s fact-finding, the appeal may...
On June 30, 2026, Kang & Shin attended the U.S. Embassy Fourth of July Reception in Seoul, with Attorneys Won Sang Kang and Hyun Don Shin representing the firm at the invitation-only event held at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan. The reception brought together members of Korea’s diplomatic, business, legal, and international professional communities and commemorated the 250th anniversary of...
A criminal appeal in Korea is not simply a second chance to repeat everything from the first trial. As in many jurisdictions, the appellate court focuses on whether there was a meaningful problem with the first-instance judgment. That problem may involve a mistake in the facts, a misunderstanding of the law, an issue with the admissibility of evidence, or an unfair sentence. This article...
