The 10 Best Criminal Lawyers in Seoul

Pureum suits foreigners who need help quickly after an arrest or while they are outside Korea. Consultations can start by phone, email or video, and the team represents clients through police investigation, prosecution, detention reviews, bail applications and trial. Covered offences include drink driving, drug use or importation and sexual offences. Because the firm also runs an immigration team, it assists with the immigration review that can follow a criminal case.

Taeshin is built around criminal defence, a good fit for serious charges where investigation strategy matters from day one. Its lawyers include former prosecutors and a former head of investigations at a Seoul police station, backed by advisers with long police careers. Several attorneys are registered with the Korean Bar Association as criminal law specialists. The firm runs an English-language service with WhatsApp contact and an emergency line for urgent cases, three minutes from Gyodae Station.

Merits suits foreigners who need support at the police station as well as in court. The Guro firm offers a legal escort service, criminal defence from investigation to trial, criminal complaints and settlement negotiations, including assault and sexual offence cases. Representative attorney Kim Dong-hyun has served as a court-appointed lawyer and as legal consultant to several Seoul police stations. The firm can be contacted on KakaoTalk, Telegram and Line.

Kang & Shin suits foreigners who want a lawyer beside them during police or prosecution questioning. The firm attends interrogations, handles trials and appeals up to the Supreme Court, and watches the visa consequences of each step. Partner Hyun Don Shin is certified by the Korean Bar Association in criminal law and has served as court-appointed defence counsel in Seoul's district courts and at the Supreme Court. Both partners work in English.

Lawyer Hwang suits expats who worry that their words will be lost in translation during an investigation. The lawyer attends police and prosecution interviews to check that statements are interpreted correctly and that the client's rights are respected. The practice also acts for expats who are victims and want to file a criminal complaint. Its English blog covers drug offences, defamation, stalking and the right of detained foreigners to contact their consulate.

Seoul Law Group suits foreign residents and US service members who need a lawyer from the first police call. Attorney Aaron Hwang is registered with the Korean Bar Association as a specialist in criminal law, and the firm handles cases under the Status of Forces Agreement for soldiers, civilian staff, contractors and their families. Lawyers attend investigations, visit detention facilities and negotiate settlements, and they advise on the immigration consequences of a conviction.

Rockcliffe suits expats who want an English-speaking lawyer to stand between them and the police. The Itaewon boutique, which acts only for foreign clients, offers criminal and regulatory defence and provides interpretation in dealings with police and courts. Korean Bar lawyers consult directly in English, without interpreters. A first enquiry is free, and the firm can be reached on WhatsApp, Telegram and KakaoTalk, which helps when time matters.

Oh Hyun suits clients facing a serious investigation who want former judges and senior prosecutors on their side. Its centre heads include a former presiding criminal judge at the Seoul Southern District Court and former chief prosecutors from Seoul, and several lawyers are registered with the Korean Bar Association as criminal law specialists. Consultation requests are taken 24 hours a day, and the assigned lawyer calls back directly. The website is in Korean only.

Yeohae suits foreign defendants who want to brief a lawyer in their own language. Criminal defence is one of the firm's three focus areas, alongside international divorce and commercial disputes. Managing attorney Kim Pyeong-ho, who has worked as an acting prosecutor, speaks Korean and English, and the firm takes enquiries in Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese and Japanese through messaging apps. Its office is on Beobwon-ro in Seocho and opens on weekdays.

YUSU suits foreigners facing a first police interview, where a careless statement can shape the whole case. Founding attorney Soobin You is a former prosecutor in Daegu and Uijeongbu, and a senior adviser spent 13 years as a police investigator. The firm prepares clients before questioning and reviews the written record before it is signed. Drink driving, drugs, fraud, sex offences, stalking and assault are covered, and English-speaking clients consult the attorneys directly.